Everything Inside And Out
by myeveryday
Summary: Rachel Berry had to spend her summer dressed up as a furry woodland creature at a small amusement park. Little did she know, that embarrassment would lead to the best thing that ever happened to her… Finn Hudson.
1. A Furry Problem

**Author's Note: This is based off a book I read called Animal Attraction by Jamie Ponti. There's only going to be a few similarities; the story won't be exactly the same. I don't know how long this story will be, but I plan on it being cute and funny, and I'm really hoping that I succeed. This story title comes from "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by the Simple Minds.**

**As always, the flashback is in italics. Also, this story takes place in New York, and… yeah. Enjoy!**

**As I'm sure we're all feeling, prayers, love, and support go out to Cory Monteith, his friends, family, and everyone else affected.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to _Glee_ or the novel this is slightly based off of.**

* * *

"_This summer internship is going to be amazing," Rachel Berry declared as she left her advisor's office with her friend, Kurt Hummel._

_ "Whoever would have guessed that you would spend the summer as a singing mermaid at McKinley Amusement Park?" Kurt teased. "Seashell bra and all."_

_ Rachel rolled her eyes and continued on as if Kurt hadn't spoken. "You need to thank your brother for putting in a good word for us," she said._

_ "I don't know if I should thank him just yet," Kurt grumbled. "They don't have a definite position for me."_

_ "But they will have something for you. And you could be one of the event coordinators," Rachel pointed out. "You love doing that sort of thing!"_

_ "But I won't know for sure until we get there. If I end up serving food at one of those booths, I'll…" Kurt trailed off and shuddered. "I refuse to wear one of those hats. Or those shirts. Or anything relating to the food service industry."_

_ Rachel wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder and squeezed. "Relax, Kurt! I'm going to be a mermaid, and you're going to be an even coordinator, and this summer is going to be amazing. Nothing is going to ruin this!"_

* * *

No. This could not be happening.

Rachel stared in horror at the brown and furry… _thing_ she was expected to wear for the duration of her summer. There was no possible way that this was actually happening. She had to have been dreaming. That was the only explanation.

"Is there a problem, Miss Berry?"

Rachel looked up at her new boss and slowly shook her head. Shannon Beiste grinned at her and handed her the large fiberglass head that was shaped as a beaver. Rachel stared at the wide eyes and somewhat creepy smile with the buck teeth. She tried her best not to wince and instead put her good acting skills to use. She was going to need it to make it through this summer, anyway.

"You're going to be Betty Beaver, Miss Berry," Beiste declared. Then she turned towards Kurt before she studied the rack of heads in front of her. "Now, Mr. Hummel. I think that we're going to give you the character of Alan Alligator."

Kurt blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Alan Alligator," Beiste repeated. "You look like you'd be the right size for the costume." And with that said, Beiste lifted the costume alligator head off the rack and dropped it into Kurt's arms. He staggered under the weight and scowled darkly at their boss.

"Now that the two of you have been assigned your characters, you have to go through orientation. And then you'll have to meet with Dakota Stanley to learn your dances."

"Dances? Excuse me?" Kurt said again. "What do you mean, we have to learn _dances?_"

Beiste raised an eyebrow, but she seemed otherwise unfazed by Kurt's less than savory attitude. "You've been to McKinley Amusement Park before, correct?"

"Of course I have," Kurt grumbled. He may not have grown up in New York like Rachel had, but his friends had made sure that he had a chance to visit the amusement park during his freshman year at NYU.

"Then you know that our characters dance. You were aware of that fact, weren't you, Rachel?" Beiste asked.

"I was," Rachel mumbled. Given that she had grown up in New York, she had been visiting the local amusement park ever since she was a little girl. There was a time when she had loved the characters of the park. But now that she was going to be one, she didn't know how she felt about it. "But I thought that I was going to be a mermaid this summer."

Beiste gave Rachel a sympathetic look. "Look at it this way, kids. You're still working in the entertainment department of the park. You get paid the exact same. You just won't be a mermaid, Rachel. And Kurt, you won't be working on the event planning."

Rachel tried to keep the sullen look off of her face, but she knew that she wasn't succeeding very well. Kurt, for his part, didn't bother to hide the dark scowl on his face. He hadn't planned on spending his summer dressed as an alligator.

"Don't worry. We have a lot of fun in the zoo crew," Beiste said. "I'm sure that you're all going to have a very enjoyable summer."

"Zoo crew?" Kurt squeaked. "What is a _zoo crew?_"

Rachel sighed. "It's what they call the group of characters that walk around the amusement park," Rachel explained. She never thought that she was going to end up in the zoo crew. She had just wanted to be a singing mermaid (and yes, she was aware that as far as summer jobs went, a singing mermaid wasn't exactly the greatest one).

Beiste grinned and patted both Rachel and Kurt on the shoulder. "When Finn heard that you couldn't have your original jobs anymore, he made sure that you could still have a spot in the entertainment department."

Kurt groaned and closed his eyes. "I'm going to kill my brother."

Now knowing that Finn Hudson was part of the reason she was on the zoo crew, Rachel was inclined to agree with Kurt.

* * *

Both Rachel and Kurt were going to be juniors at the Tisch School at NYU. They were both majoring in theater and hoped to have careers on Broadway one day. After speaking to their advisor, they had managed to get a summer job at an amusement park upstate. They had heard about it through Kurt's older brother, Finn Hudson (he also attended NYU, but as an education major. He was also going to be a senior for the upcoming fall semester).

Rachel had visited the amusement park many times as a child. Her favorite part had always been the group of singing mermaids. McKinley Amusement Park was a very small water park, and the mermaids were one of the main attractions. They had a lagoon in the middle of the park, and twice a day they put on a singing show for a large audience.

The best part was that the mermaids got to stay after the show and do a meet and greet with the audience. In reality, it was pretty much just an excuse for guys to flirt with them. The mermaids at McKinley were known for being beautiful in addition to being very good singers.

Rachel had managed to snag a job as the main singing mermaid. When she had originally auditioned, they weren't going to accept her because she didn't have the right "look" (which was basically just their way of saying that they didn't think she could fill out a seashell bra). But then they had heard Rachel sing, and they had given her the job on the spot. Until now, that is.

When Rachel had arrived at the amusement park with Kurt, they had both been sent to the entertainment office and told that their jobs had been moved. Now, instead of being a mermaid, Rachel was stuck being dressed as a beaver.

She couldn't remember a time when her life had been more unfair.

Rachel stared at the beaver head that was sitting on the bench next to her. She couldn't even bring herself to change into her costume yet, even though she had been told to do so over fifteen minutes ago.

It appeared that Kurt had the same idea. He came out of the bathroom, dragging his green costume behind him. He dropped it on the floor before he sat on the bench next to Rachel.

"I can't do this," he declared dramatically. "I don't have any clothes to wear underneath this monstrosity of a costume. And what do you think that helmet head is going to do to my _hair?_"

Rachel sighed. "All I wanted to be was a mermaid."

Kurt patted her back sympathetically. "I know, sweetie. I know. And now you're stuck wearing a costume of bad shag carpet."

"This was supposed to be a great summer, remember? Nothing was supposed to ruin it." Rachel picked at the brown, shaggy fur of her costume. "I suppose that I spoke too soon."

Before Kurt could say anything, a short man with curly hair came running into the room. "Excuse me!" he yelled. "I believe that the two of you are my Alan Alligator and Betty Beaver. Why aren't you dressed yet? You were supposed to be at practice ten minutes ago!"

There was no way to get out of this now. They needed this job, and they were just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. Rachel stood up and grabbed her Betty Beaver costume. She had a feeling that she was going to be in for a very long day.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stanley," Rachel said in her most respectful voice. She poked Kurt in the shoulder until he stood up and grabbed his costume as well. "We're getting changed right now. We'll be out in a few moments!"

A few minutes later, Rachel was seriously regretting that decision.

She felt as if she could barely move. The costume was loose in all the wrong places and tight in even worse places. She felt as if the tail was almost as long as her actually body, and it dragged behind her. It completely threw off her balance—and the worst part was, she hadn't even tried on the head yet.

"Kurt, come on!" Rachel called into the bathroom. "We have to get out there and learn our dances!"

It was a moment before she heard Kurt's muffled voice come from the bathroom. "You have to promise not to take any pictures of me before I walk out there."

"Um… alright." Rachel wasn't going to take any pictures (because she knew what it felt like. It wasn't like she wanted anyone taking pictures of her dressed as Betty Beaver), but she couldn't make any promises for the rest of their friends.

She finally heard Kurt's feet shuffling towards her. When he finally came into view, Rachel had to clap one of her gloved hands over her mouth.

"Oh, Kurt…" she said.

Kurt pointed a finger at her, but he didn't seem threatening at all in his alligator costume. "You promised that you wouldn't make fun of me!"

Rachel tried to stifle her laughter, but it wasn't working. "Kurt, I said that I wouldn't take any pictures. I never said anything about not teasing you."

"Well, you're one to talk," Kurt said in a snarky voice. "You are dressed in a hideous brown carpet, Rachel Berry."

Rachel placed her hands on her hips and struck a dramatic pose. "Excuse you, Kurt. I think that I look marvelous in this costume!"

Finally, Kurt cracked a smile. He picked up the head of the alligator that he was going to have to wear and stared at it for a long moment. With a sigh, he tucked it under his arm before he handed Rachel's beaver head to her.

"Come on, Betty Beaver. We have some dancing to do."

* * *

Barely three minutes into the dance rehearsal, Rachel realized that she really should have practiced walking with the beaver head _on_ first. The eye slits of the head, combined with the heavy weight of that and the tail made it difficult to maneuver. She barely took two steps before she tripped.

Now, Rachel prided herself on being an excellent dancer. She had been taking classes ever since she was two years old. But according to Dakota Stanley, Rachel couldn't master the art of the Betty Beaver Dance.

"This is ridiculous!" Dakota trilled. "What are you doing?" He clapped his hands to the beat, but it wasn't helping Rachel concentrate at all.

"I'm shaking my tail," Rachel said in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Just like you said!"

"You're not shaking," Dakota snapped. "You're _jiggling._"

"There's a difference?"

Rachel could hear Kurt laughing off on the side. She whipped around to face him, but she was well aware of the fact that she didn't look at all threatening in her beaver costume. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Kurt Hummel! Your dance was much easier to learn than mine!"

Dakota clapped his hands again, and Rachel tried to figure out a way to trip him with her beaver tail. "Mr. Hummel, you can go and take your break now. And you, Miss Berry. Focus! You can't learn this dance if you don't pay attention!"

She could hear Kurt laughing as he left the room. She was going to trip him next.

Rachel's patience was seriously wearing thin with this man. She was stuck spending her summer working as a beaver character in an amusement park, and now she had to deal with this? She was nearing the end of her rope, and it was only the first day.

Before Dakota could insult Rachel's dancing further, another one of the amusement park's characters came in. This one was dressed as a platypus, and Rachel welcomed the distraction that he brought.

"Dakota, Brittany lost the head to her crocodile costume again. Beiste wants you to go look for it." The character speaking as PJ Platypus, and Rachel was eager to see who played him.

Dakota just gave an overly-dramatic sigh before he stalked off. Rachel sagged in relief and tugged her beaver head off just as her companion tugged his platypus head off.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat when she got a good look at him. He was tall, definitely over six feet. Even in his costume, Rachel could tell that he was broad-shouldered and fit. His amber eyes were kind and warm, and he had a sprinkling of freckles across his cheeks. He had a messy mop of hair hidden under a bandana, and he was watching Rachel with a half-smile on his face. A dimple appeared in his cheek, and Rachel found herself smiling in return.

"You looked like you could use a break," he said. As he spoke, he took the beaver head from her and set it aside, giving Rachel some relief. "I'm Finn Hudson, by the way."

"Oh!" Rachel couldn't keep the smile off her face as she realized how chivalrous he was being. Yet, this was still the man who was now responsible for her part as a beaver. "I'm Rachel Berry. I guess I have you to thank for my new job."

Finn winced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Did they tell you why you weren't able to be a mermaid anymore?"

"They didn't. But I suppose you know."

"Al Motta, that guy that owns all those car dealerships? Yeah, his daughter, Sugar, decided that she wanted to be a mermaid. So he made a huge donation and pretty much bought her a spot with the mermaids. Since you were the newest hire, they cut you from the spot."

Rachel scowled at the thought that she almost lost her job because some brat's father bought it for her. But then she realized that even though her current job might not exactly be ideal, she had Finn to thank for the fact that she even had one.

"Beiste told me that you recommended us for the zoo crew. While it wasn't my first choice, I really appreciate it," Rachel said. "So thank you."

Finn flashed her another smile, and Rachel felt her heart rate pick up. She certainly hadn't expected to have a reaction like this to Finn, especially since he hadn't been her favorite person not more than fifteen minutes ago. As she looked into his smiling eyes, Rachel realized that she didn't mind it.

"It's not a big deal," Finn said. "I'm glad that I could help out. Let me know if you have any questions."

Rachel nodded her head and smiled as she watched Finn leave the room. This summer might turn out to be very interesting, after all.

* * *

**Author's Note: So this is just the beginning. Thanks for reading, and I hope that you all enjoyed it! I hope that this could all make you smile. That's my goal with this story. :)**


	2. Character Bonding

**Author's Note: I was actually kind of worried about this story, but you all seem pretty taken with it. :) So that's awesome! I'm so glad that everyone likes it so far, and thank you for all of the amazing feedback.**

**Also, I used that one character from the beginning of season three. Her name was Harmony, I think. I just made up her last name, just in case you were wondering where she came from.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"No. Wait. You actually have to dress up as a _beaver?_"

Rachel glared at her best friend. "Are you finished yet?"

Santana Lopez smirked and shook her head. "No way. I want pictures."

"Absolutely not." Rachel's eyes narrowed even further.

"And Lady Hummel has to dress as an alligator? That is definitely something that I want to see. I want pictures of him in the costume, and then I want after shots when his hair is all messed up. I'm going to use them as blackmail."

"You will do no such thing, Santana Lopez!" Kurt exclaimed as he came into the living room. He, Rachel, and Santana all shared a small apartment not far from NYU's campus. Santana and Rachel had been best friends ever since elementary school. When they met Kurt during freshman year orientation, they had taken him into their little group. "I refuse to have any documentation of myself in that hideous excuse for a costume."

"Lighten up, Kurt," Santana said. But she still couldn't stop herself from laughing. "It's not every day that you get to dress up like an alligator and dance around."

"Easy for you to say," Kurt grumbled. "And what are you doing for a job this summer?"

With another smirk, Santana stood and struck a pose. "I'm modeling."

Rachel rolled her eyes, because she knew that a fight was about to start between her two friends. And just as she predicted, Kurt gasped dramatically. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the Latina and planted his hands on his hips.

"Where do you have a modeling gig?" Kurt demanded.

Santana opened her laptop and clicked through several pages until she came upon a picture. She turned it towards Kurt and didn't bother to hide her laughter when she saw the look on his face. "Remember that fashion website thing you did an internship at your freshman year? Yeah, I sent some headshots in and they hired me. Even fashion websites need models, Lady Hummel."

Kurt threw his hands up in the air. "I can't believe you have a summer job at while I have one dressed as an alligator at a crappy water park. An _alligator!_"

"I can't decide which is better," Santana mused thoughtfully. "An alligator or a beaver."

Rachel launched a pillow at Santana in response and collapsed on the couch. "You could try to be a little nicer about this, you know."

"Don't worry. I'll be there to support the two of you all summer. I'll even want some pictures with Alan Alligator and Betty Beaver!"

Kurt sat down next to Rachel and crossed his arms. "You're evil, Santana Lopez. I hope you know that."

But Santana wasn't finished teasing her friends yet. "I bet I could even get a professional photographer from the website to come up. You know, just to make sure that our pictures look really nice."

Despite herself, Rachel could feel a smile forming on her face. For the most part, Santana's teasing was good-natured. "Are you finished now?" she asked again.

"For the moment," Santana said with a smile. "But I'm probably going to come up with some more later."

* * *

Rachel stared in distaste at her locker. The beaver head stared back at her, with that same semi-creepy grin on its face. She found it difficult to believe that she had ever loved these characters when she had been a child. It was certainly different on the other side.

With a sigh, she lifted the heavy costume out of her locker and dragged it into the bathroom. Before she returned to the locker room, she slipped the beaver head over her own and stared at her reflection in the mirror before she gave a resolute nod. Rachel was determined to learn how to walk properly in this thing, even if she was going to end up as one big black and blue bruise. At least no one would see it underneath the costume.

Rachel managed to make it out of the bathroom without any issues. It was when she was in the locker room that she encountered a problem.

Rachel had to contend with the locker and the benches. It was essentially a maze, and Rachel found it difficult to maneuver through it. With her hands held out in front of her, Rachel did her best to see through the mask as she took several cautious steps forward.

Rachel smiled when she managed to reach her locker successfully. She stood there for a moment, reveling in her small victory when she suddenly heard the locker room door open. Without bothering to take any part of her costume off, Rachel turned to see who it was.

To her ire, it was the mermaids. Quinn Fabray, Harmony Pearce, Kitty Wilde, and Sugar Motta all came sauntering in. They were wearing their matching red warm up suits, and, despite the fact that they had just come out of the pool, they looked perfect. Rachel frowned deeply; she was glad that her costume head was hiding her face. She was free to glare and pout all she wanted, and no one had to know.

Yes, she was thankful that she had a job for the summer. But that didn't mean that she still couldn't be a little bitter about the job that she was supposed to have.

Deciding to just remove herself from the situation entirely, Rachel turned to leave the locker room. Unfortunately, she didn't see that one of the lockers was propped open. In her haste to get away, she smacked into it, causing it to slam against the other lockers and create a loud crashing sound.

The group of mermaids paused and turned to look at Rachel. They didn't laugh or stop to make fun of her. Instead, they just gave her a smile that seemed to say, "Oh, we're so sorry for you and your pathetic job and life." Then they flipped their perfect hair and left the room. In a way, that was almost worse than any insults Rachel might have endured from them.

Rachel rested her costumed head on the locker door and sighed. She let herself wallow in self-pity for just a short moment before she pushed away from the lockers entirely.

Once again, Rachel had a little mishap. As she moved away from the lockers, she backed into someone else and basically bounced off their chest and into the metal row once again. This time it hurt, and Rachel winced as she began to fall.

But whomever she had bumped into caught her. Once they set her on her feet, Rachel tugged the beaver head off only to find herself face to face with Finn Hudson. A light blush tinged her cheeks when she realized just how clumsy she had been in front of him, but he was looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He was very sincere in his concern, his amber eyes searching hers as he waited for her answer.

"I'm perfectly alright," Rachel said, even though she really wasn't. She was beyond embarrassed that she couldn't even walk in a straight line in her costume. Really, she was embarrassed that someone as attractive as Finn had to see her in the costume at all.

He hadn't yet changed into his costume, leaving him in a pair of jeans and fitted t-shirt. Rachel's eyes lingered on the defined muscles in his arms and chest before she looked back up to his face. He really was too good-looking for his own good. You couldn't even tell that he spent his summers dressed as a dancing platypus at a small water park.

Finn watched her with the same slight worry in his eyes before he nodded his head. "It takes a while to get used to walking with the costume heads on," he said. "I'm not exactly a graceful person. I didn't get the hang of my costume for a while."

Rachel looked at the beaver head with a sigh. "I can't even walk in it, so how am I supposed to accomplish dancing? And I will have you know that I am an excellent dancer, despite what my freshman year dance instructor said."

Finn chuckled. "I believe you. Me, on the other hand? I'm a terrible dancer. If Dakota Stanley had his way, I wouldn't even have a job right now."

Despite her embarrassment, Rachel finally let out a little laugh of her own. "I'm sure you can't be that bad."

"No, I really am. I'm lucky that Beiste stepped in. They had to make a new dance for me. I basically just move like this." Finn executed a few small movements that involved moving his shoulders and hips a little bit. Rachel giggled again, and Finn smiled at the sound. "I call it tiny dancing."

"Well, I'm glad Dakota lets you get away with it. He won't rest until I'm "shaking my tail" perfectly." Rachel tugged the costume glove off her hand and fanned it in front of her face. "It is so hot in here and summer has barely even started yet."

"That's another thing," Finn added. "I wouldn't wear anything under that costume that could melt. I've heard or more than a few stories where rubber bands and stuff like that have melted."

Rachel winced. The last thing she wanted was to pick melted rubber out of her hair. "Thanks for the tip," she said. When Finn nodded his head, Rachel sighed again and lifted the beaver head into her arms. "I have to go practice my dance now. I'm nothing if not determined, and I will perfect that dance."

"I think you will," Finn said. He caught her by the hand before she could leave the room entirely, and she stopped to look up at him. She really wished that she still wasn't wearing the beaver costume. "Rachel, let me know if you need help practicing the dance. I can't dance well, but I don't mind helping out."

Rachel smiled. She didn't really know what was going on between her and Finn, but she liked it. "I think that I might take you up on that."

* * *

Rachel was surprised to find that she wasn't the only one meeting with Dakota Stanley. In fact, the longer she was there, the more she realized that Dakota wasn't going to show up at all. Rachel plopped down in one of the chairs and sighed.

"Hi!" A blonde girl in a crocodile costume came up to Rachel and stuck her hand out enthusiastically. "My name is Brittany S. Pierce, and I'm the character of Cammi Crocodile at the park. I'm here to teach you how to dance!"

"Hi, Brittany," Rachel said with much less enthusiasm. "I'm Rachel Berry. And I thought that I had learned this dance already, but Dakota has insisted that I haven't."

"Dakota can be pretty mean sometime," Brittany said. "I'm really sorry. I'm just going to watch you do the dance once, and then we can be done. Finn already told me that you actually know the dance pretty well."

"Oh." Rachel was surprised to find that Finn was looking out for her once again. But she felt something in her heart when Brittany told her about Finn. A light blush tinted her cheeks, but she shook the thoughts from her mind. Even so, she felt so much happier now and picked up the costume head, slipping it on. "I guess we should get started then!"

Rachel performed the dance once and Brittany told her that she did just fine. Feeling much better than she had before, Rachel went into the locker room to finally change out of her costume. Brittany followed her as well, chattering about the different jobs at the park.

"A bunch of us are actually going to get lunch at this pizza place," Brittany said. "Do you want to come with us? Kurt already said that he would."

"Of course!" Rachel and Kurt were the newbies—the rest of these people had spent the past several summers working together. It was nice to be easily included in the things that they did. And as Rachel remembered what Finn had done for her over the past couple of days, she realized that it was nice to have someone watching out for her, too. Rachel could easily handle things on her own, but it felt good to know that someone would be there for her.

This was going to be a perfect chance for her to get to know Finn more. Rachel quickly changed into a pair of jean shorts and a loose summer top. She reapplied some light makeup and tried to make sure that her hair wasn't too gross from having it under the helmet all day.

The rest of the workers had gathered out front. Kurt and Finn were already waiting for Rachel. When she got there with Brittany, they introduced her to several other of the water park's workers.

"Rachel, this is Mike Chang and Sam Evans. They're lifeguards," Finn explained. "Noah Puckerman and Jake Puckerman work with the janitorial staff. Tina Cohen-Chang, Ryder Lynn, and Mercedes Jones work in concession, and Marley Rose and Blaine Anderson work the game booths."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Rachel said as she waved at them. Once all of the introductions had been made, they all turned and went to walk to the pizza place that was just across the street to the entrance of the amusement park. Finn walked beside Rachel as they made their way to the restaurant.

"So is your dance training finished?" Finn asked.

Rachel beamed. "It is, actually." Looking up at him, she added, "But I still might take you up on that extra practice that you offered."

Finn grinned down at her, and Rachel's stomach fluttered a little. And as they walked into the restaurant, Finn put his hand on the small of her back as he held the door open for her. Rachel smiled to herself and bit her lip; she couldn't wait to see what would happen between them next.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading!**


	3. First Day Dramatics

**Author's Note: You guys are so awesome. Thanks for the fantastic response!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Kurt." Brittany put a comforting hand on Kurt's back. "It's okay. It's all going to be just fine. Alan Alligator is your friend, remember?"

"No." Kurt shook his head. "Alan Alligator can't be my friend if he's going to ruin my hair like this."

Now Brittany put her hands on her hips and gave her new coworker a pointed look. "Kurt Hummel. Cammi Crocodile and Alan Alligator are supposed to be best friends. I will not be spending the entire day with you if you're going to be a grump the whole time."

Rachel, who had been watching the interaction from the sidelines, managed to stifle her laughter. "Yes, Kurt," Rachel said with a straight face. "You better turn that frown upside down and get to work."

Kurt rolled his eyes and gave Rachel a withering look. "Whatever, Betty Beaver," he said scathingly.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "At least I don't hate mine as much as you hate yours."

"Well, at least I get to spend my days working here with Brittany," Kurt retorted. "I've lived with Finn Hudson, and I know what he's like. I hope you have fun with that."

Rachel hid her smile as she lifted the character head that went with her costume. She didn't think that she was going to mind spending time with Finn. She just decided not to respond to Kurt's comment as the man they had just been discussing entered the locker room.

"Kurt, Brittany," Finn greeted. When he saw that Rachel was all dressed and ready to go, he smiled. "Hey, Rach. You look like you're good to go."

Rachel knew that she was going to have to suck it up and play the part of the beaver eventually. She might as well get it over with while she still could. The day had finally come. "I am. I guess."

Finn chuckled at Rachel's lack of enthusiasm as he pulled his own costume from his locker. "It's really not as bad as you think."

Kurt let out a snort. "Please, Finn. For some reason, you actually enjoy spending your summers playing a dancing platypus. Don't make the rest of us suffer with you."

Finn held up his platypus head and nudged his younger brother with it. "You're just jealous that a platypus is way better than an alligator." When Kurt made a scoffing noise, Finn just chuckled and turned back towards Rachel. "I'm going to get changed and then I'll be out in a minute."

When Finn disappeared into the bathroom, Brittany clapped her hands and pushed Kurt off the bench until he stood up. "Let's get going, Kurt Hummel! We have a full day of dancing ahead of us!"

Kurt groaned. "Save me, Rachel!"

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Rachel said with a sigh. "But I don't think this dancing beaver can save the dancing alligator."

* * *

"And even though some kids are going to pull on your tail, the first instinct you have to hit them isn't the right way to handle that situation."

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "I don't condone violence, so I can't ever imagine wanting to hit one of the children."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Trust me, Rach. Once you deal with these kids, you'll understand. And don't forget that you're never allowed to take your head off while you're in the park. They said that it ruins the magic… or something."

Rachel shook her head. Disney World, this was not. "I understand, I suppose." They were at the entrance to the park now, and Finn pulled his costume head on. Rachel followed suit. She couldn't believe that she was standing in front of Finn dressed as a cartoon beaver. Her only consolation was that Finn was dressed as a cartoon platypus.

"Are you ready?" Finn asked.

Rachel sighed. "Do I really have a choice?"

* * *

Rachel shuffled back into the locker room for her lunch break. She was tired, hungry, and it was unbelievably stifling underneath her furry costume. She felt like she was about to melt, she was so hot. She let out a little moan of relief as she tugged the head of her costume off and set it on the bench.

"Aren't you a busy little beaver?"

Rachel jumped at the familiar voice and turned to find Santana standing behind her. "Santana! Rachel exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Santana smirked and sat down on the bench. "Lady Hummel let me in. Despite his protests, I did manage to snap a picture of him and his overly sweaty hair. I think I'm going to blow it up and hang it on our front door. Speaking of…"

Santana whipped her phone out and quickly snapped a picture of Rachel dressed in only half her costume. Rachel shrieked and threw at Santana whatever she could grab out of her locker. Finn peeked around the row of lockers.

"Rach, is everything okay?" he asked.

Rachel's lips parted as she took in his appearance. He was dressed in the park-issue red polo and khaki shorts. His messy hair was still damp, but it looked absolutely fantastic on him. Rachel was beginning to wonder if he just looked this attractive all the time.

"Well well," Santana said as she looked between Rachel and Finn. "Everything suddenly makes a lot of sense."

"Santana," Rachel hissed as she cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Finn looked between Rachel and Santana with amusement. "Hi," he said to Santana as he held his hand out. "I'm Finn Hudson."

Santana smirked and ignored Finn's outstretched hand. "Greetings, Sasquatch."

Rachel shot Santana an exasperated look. "Just ignore her, Finn. She insults everyone that she knows."

"Hey! There's a difference between how I make fun of the people I like and how I insult people I don't like. Don't pretend like you don't know that, Berry." Santana clapped her hands together. "I have to go find Hummel again. It's my goal to get a picture of him in full costume."

She walked off, leaving Finn and Rachel standing there. Rachel turned to Finn with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry."

Finn chuckled. "She seems… interesting."

"She's my best friend," Rachel said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We met in elementary school. She beat up someone who was trying to steal the snack from my lunch. And then she took it from me anyway, but I appreciated what she did."

"Santana reminds me of a female version of Puck," Finn said.

"I see that. That's very frightening." Now Rachel was hoping that Puck and Santana would never meet, or they would and some sort of throw down would happen.

Kurt came stalking into the locker room then. His hair was perfectly coiffed once again, but his face was red and he pointed a threatening finger at Finn as he glared at him. "Finn Hudson, this is the worst job ever! Someone pulled on my alligator tail three times and my hair looked like a disaster. A _disaster_, Finn!"

Finn rolled his eyes. "Kurt, you do realize that you're just going to have to get dressed up in your costume again, right?"

Rachel grinned. "He just wanted to look nice for when we have lunch with Blaine."

"Oh, so that's what this is about?" Finn gave his little brother an amused look. "I knew that you would like him."

"Rachel!" Kurt gasped. "You're almost as bad as Santana!"

Rachel just giggled and looked over at Finn, who was laughing as well. Kurt didn't miss the exchange and he narrowed his eyes as he watched the two of them. Rachel didn't miss the look of realization that was forming on Kurt's face, and she decided to speak again before Kurt could draw any attention to what he had just figured out.

"So who's ready to go to lunch?" she asked loudly. "I know that I am!"

Kurt sniggered and Rachel glared at him. Finn walked off to the employee cafeteria, but Kurt grabbed on to Rachel's arm to stop her from following him.

"You have a crush on my older brother," Kurt stated.

Rachel sighed. She knew that he wasn't going to let this go until she told him. "Kurt…"

"Don't try and deny it, Rachel Berry. I know you, and I know how you are when you like a guy. So you might as well tell me now."

"Fine." Rachel looked around to make sure that no one was near them before she quietly admitted, "Maybe I have a little crush on him. But do you think that you could actually keep this a secret? I have to work with him, and I doubt that he would like me in that way…" She trailed off and shook her head.

"Oh, my dear Rachel." Kurt linked his arm with hers as they walked towards the cafeteria. "Any boy would be crazy not to like you. Finn especially." He didn't mention that it was obvious that Finn already had a huge thing for Rachel. Kurt wanted to do a little digging first.

And given that Rachel had spilled his secret about liking Blaine, Kurt couldn't wait to tell Santana about Rachel's crush on Finn.

* * *

Rachel let out a sigh of relief as she stepped completely out of her Betty Beaver costume. She was too tired to change out of her sweaty clothes from the work day. She honestly just wanted to get back to her apartment, but she had to wait for Santana and Kurt.

Santana had decided to hang around the amusement park for the rest of the day, alternating between taking pictures of Rachel and then Kurt as they danced around the water park and took pictures with the visitors.

"So what did you think of your first day?" Finn asked as he sat on the bench next to Rachel.

Rachel smiled at him. "It really wasn't horrible. And all of the tips that you gave me were very helpful, so thank you for that."

Finn gave her that adorable half smile and shrugged his shoulders. "It really wasn't a big deal."

"It actually was, though." Rachel put her hand on Finn's arm. "There has to be something I can do to thank you." Rachel had never been so forward with a guy before, but with Finn it just felt… right.

Finn's eyes went to her hand on his arm and then back up to her face. He licked his lips, but before he could say anything, Kurt and Santana came bursting into the locker room. Finn and Rachel jumped apart, but neither of their friends had noticed their close proximity.

"Whoa, guys," Finn said. "Where's the fire?"

Kurt ignored his brother. "Rachel, something has happened."

"What?" Rachel looked at Kurt in alarm. "Is everything okay?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Kurt is just overreacting. We came in here to tell you that your slimy ex-boyfriend is back in town."

Rachel arched an eyebrow, and Kurt made a face. She obviously did not give the desired dramatic reaction. "Jesse is back?"

"For some reason, St. James decided to come back from California," Santana said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Kurt seems to think that it's a big deal."

"Of course it is!" Kurt exclaimed. "He broke Rachel's heart!"

Rachel was very aware of Finn's eyes on her. "Yes, but that was several years ago." Turning to Finn, she explained, "Jesse and I dated my junior year of high school. When he went to UCLA, we had a nasty break up when he decided not to tell me that he was seeing other people while in school. Despite what Kurt seems to think, I'm not at all bothered by his return." And she really wasn't. She had made peace with the Jesse situation while she had still been in high school. It was nothing but a memory, now.

"We saw him in the amusement park today," Kurt said. "I don't know why he was here, but he was going on and on about some spot he has on a soap opera out in LA."

Rachel scowled. She had never really had a relationship with Jesse; it was more as if they had constantly tried to outdo one another with their accomplishments. As performers, Rachel and Jesse had always been trying to prove that one was better than the other.

And now Jesse was on a soap opera and Rachel was spending her summer dressed as a beaver. This was just perfect.

"I know that look, Rachel," Kurt said. "Don't start."

Finn gave Rachel a concerned look. "Don't start what?" he asked.

Before Rachel could respond to the question herself, Santana said, "Jesse and Rachel are actually friends now, or whatever. But they're always trying to prove that one is better, which has always been their problem. When Jesse sees Rachel, he's going to rub in her face that he's had some acting experience on TV. Jesse always did like himself better than he liked anyone else."

"This guy sounds like a dick," Finn said after a moment. He reached out and gently squeezed Rachel's hand. "Don't let him get to you, okay? You're amazing."

Rachel smiled at Finn. His compliment truly touched her, and she could see that he was being completely sincere. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's just friendly competition between me and Jesse now."

Finally satisfied with Rachel's response, Kurt said, "Now that we have that figured out, can we go back to our apartment? I need to take several showers if I want to get the smell of the alligator costume off my body."

Rachel was definitely looking forward to relaxing. "That sounds great." She turned back to Finn as she stood. "Goodbye, Finn. I'll see you tomorrow."

Finn smiled at Rachel, but there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't read. "See you tomorrow, Rach."

* * *

**Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm not about to bring Jesse in between Finn and Rachel. I actually think that he's kind of hilarious. I was telling the truth when I said that Jesse and Rachel were friends. This isn't going to turn into some weird love triangle, I swear. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Locker Room Peep Show

**Author's Note: As always, you are all so awesome for the amazing response that I've gotten to this story so far. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Rachel shut her locker door and rested her head against it. It had been two weeks since she had started at the McKinley amusement park, and it had been another long day. It had been very trying as well, since the kids she had worked with had been particularly difficult.

She looked around to make sure that the locker room was empty before she stripped off her sweaty clothes and grabbed her towel from her locker. They had to stay after work because they were doing department pictures, so she actually had to look somewhat presentable.

As she took her quick shower, she released most of her stress by singing. She sang whatever came to mind as loudly as she could. When she stepped out of the shower, she was feeling infinitely better… until she realized that she had only brought her underwear and bra into the bathroom with her.

With a sigh, Rachel pulled her undergarments on and wrapped the towel back around her body. With regards to their pictures, they had to do one in their amusement park issued red polo shirts and khaki shorts, and then they had to do one in their costumes. The first one was in their uniforms, and Rachel had left hers in her locker.

Rachel padded back out into the locker room and searched through her locker for her uniform. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized that someone else had entered the locker room as well. She still hadn't noticed when she dropped her towel and proceeded to pull on her shorts and polo.

Rachel did notice that she wasn't alone when someone crashed into the lockers, however.

Rachel shrieked and whipped around, holding the polo to her bra-clad chest. She found Finn leaning against the lockers, rubbing his head as he tried to keep his eyes from lingering on her for too long. "Finn!" she yelled. She felt her face turn bright red as she stood there in her shorts and bra, holding her shirt to her chest.

Finn's face matched the color of her polo. "Rachel! I'm sorry. Really, I am. I didn't know you were in here. Well, I did know that you were in here. I heard someone singing and I realized that it was you and I thought you sounded amazing so I came in here to listen but I didn't mean to see you half-naked, I swear—"

"Finn." Rachel was still embarrassed, but she found Finn's rambling too adorable. A smile formed on her lips as she watched him. "It's… uh… it's alright. Really. You just scared me a little, that's all."

Finn gave her a sheepish look. "I really didn't mean to walk in on you."

"I know you didn't." It was then that Rachel realized she was still standing in front of Finn without a shirt on. Part of her—a very big part—wanted to just drop the shirt and see what would happen. But they had to take their pictures, and Rachel couldn't waste much more time… despite the fact that she desperately wanted to. "Do… do you think you could turn around for a second?"

"Oh. Yeah!" Finn spun around and Rachel quickly pulled her polo on. When she announced that she was finished, Finn turned back to face her. His cheeks were still red, but it seemed a little better now that she had a shirt on.

They stared at each other for several long moments, neither knowing what to say. Rachel was still embarrassed (but she found that she didn't really mind Finn seeing her in that state at all), and Finn was too busy trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he had just seen her half-naked. That was an image that wasn't going to leave his head for a very long time (not that he was complaining).

Finally, Finn forced himself to speak. "You know, you really did sound amazing. When you were singing, I mean."

Rachel tucked her hair behind her hair. "You think so?" Rachel knew that she had a fabulous voice, but it was still a little unnerving to be complimented directly like that. Especially since it was coming from Finn, whom Rachel found herself falling for more and more.

"Of course, Rach!" Finn smiled at her, his amber eyes twinkling in delight. "When you sang, I could really feel it, you know?"

Rachel beamed at him. He was just so… wonderful. Finn Hudson truly had a good heart. And with the look of awe he was giving her right now… she felt like she could do anything.

"Were you singing Journey earlier?" Finn asked.

"I was! I'm more partial to Broadway classics, but my Papa loves classic rock. So I've grown up with a little bit of both," Rachel said.

"Journey is one of my favorite bands," Finn told her.

"I guess I know what I'll sing the next time I'm in the shower, then." The words were out of Rachel's mouth before she realized what she said. Her cheeks flushed bright red and Finn let out a little chuckle. Fortunately, he didn't make another comment and saved her from further embarrassment.

"Are you ready to take our pictures?" Finn asked instead.

Rachel groaned. "Not in my costume, no," she said. "I had a nightmare about it last night! I was stuck in the Betty Beaver costume and everyone was staring at me and laughing and I couldn't get away from them…" Rachel trailed off and shuddered. "It was terrifying."

Finn reached out and squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. His hand lingered for an extra moment, his thumb brushing against her collar bone. "Everyone has a nightmare about their character. It should wear off soon."

"What was your nightmare like?" Rachel questioned.

"I play football," Finn explained. "I had this nightmare where it was the first gave of the season and I was stuck in the middle of the field in the PJ Platypus costume." He didn't mind sharing his embarrassing nightmares with Rachel, and it only made her like him even more. "And I've had it more than once."

"Great," Rachel groaned. "Something to look forward to."

It was then that they met up with the rest of the zoo crew department, which consisted of Kurt, Rachel, Finn, and Brittany. They had the honor of playing the amusement park's "beloved characters," which was a phrase that tended to make Rachel cringe.

"Are you ready?" the photographer asked after he situated everyone. Since Rachel was the shortest, she was in the middle. She was standing in between Finn and Brittany, and Kurt was on the other side of the blonde. When they nodded their heads, he ducked behind the camera. "Smile!"

They took a few shots like that before he sent them into the back to change into their costumes. When Rachel came shuffling out, holding her beaver head, she found that the mermaids were finishing up taking their pictures in their red warm up suits.

Rachel scowled as she watched them. They got to spend the summer swimming around in bikinis and mermaid tails while she had to wear a shaggy fur costume and deal with annoying children. She was supposed to have spent this summer singing, but now she had to hide in the locker room showers and do it.

"Hey." Rachel felt Finn's hand settle on her back and she turned to find him looking down at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly alright," Rachel said with a sigh. "It's just that… I was supposed to be one of the pretty mermaids, you know?" Despite the changes in her summer plans, Rachel had come to enjoy playing the character of Betty Beaver. She loved the people that she got to work with and she was having fun. It just stung a little bit to have lost out on the opportunity to play a mermaid.

Finn frowned. "You are pretty," he said.

"Finn." Rachel let out an incredulous noise. "I'm dressed as a beaver." She brandished Betty Beaver's head as if to prove her point, and Finn pushed it away.

"I think you look cute dressed as Betty Beaver. And you're still pretty," Finn said. His voice held complete sincerity, and his eyes were full of warmth as he gazed down at her.

It seemed as if Rachel hadn't heard Finn's second sentence. She was still stuck on the fact that he had just called her "cute" while she was dressed a beaver. That definitely hadn't been the vibe that she was going for. Then again, how would she be able to pull off sexy while dressed in that furry costume? She was fighting a losing battle, she knew.

The mermaids were finally finished with their pictures. Instead of acknowledging Finn's compliment, Rachel yanked the beaver head on. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered under her breath.

Finn watched her stalk over to camera with a furrowed brow. He really did think that she looked cute in her costume. He thought that she looked cute all of the time. And he wasn't lying when he said that he thought she was pretty, either. In fact, Finn thought that Rachel was beautiful—not to mention sexy (and that had just been proven even further when he had seen her without a shirt earlier that day). He wasn't sure why she had reacted the way that she had, but he was going to let her cool off a little bit before he tried to bring it up again.

Dressed in their costumes, the zoo crew took several individual pictures before moving on to the group ones. Once the photographer was satisfied, he suggested that they take a funny picture.

At this point, they weren't wearing their costume heads. Brittany immediately scooped Kurt up, much to his surprise. He shrieked and flailed about, which created quite an amusing sight. Laughing, the photographer immediately started snapping away with his camera.

Finn, for his part, had plopped down on one of the prop seats. He held his hand out to Rachel, his eyes twinkling as he looked up at her. Rachel gave his open palm a hesitant look, and Finn nodded his hand. She slid her hand into his and smiled when she felt his calloused fingers curl around hers.

Then, to Rachel's surprise, Finn tugged her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she let out a surprised laugh. She wasn't even away of the camera going off in front of them as the four coworkers did silly poses… and all of Rachel's were from Finn's lap.

Once they were finished, Rachel went over to the photographer. "Is it alright if I see some of the pictures?" she asked.

"Sure." He turned his laptop towards her and allowed her to click through the images. Rachel's cheeks flushed when she realized that he had taken some of just her and Finn.

"You two look nice together," the photographer commented when Rachel stopped on one picture. It had been just after Finn had pulled her onto his lap, and they were both smiling at each other. One of Rachel's hands was still wrapped in his, and he had his other arm slung around her waist. Rachel's free hand was pressed against his chest, and they were looking into each other's eyes.

Despite the fact that they were still half-dressed in their costumes, this picture was sweet. The costumes didn't even make Rachel cringe. She could feel that warmth spreading in her chest again, and she couldn't keep the smile from forming on her lips as she continued to study the picture.

"Do you think you could print this out?" Rachel asked before she could stop herself. It was just such a nice picture and Rachel found herself wanting to keep it.

The photographer smiled and quickly printed out the picture. Rachel studied it with a smile of her own playing her lips before she tucked it into her bag.

* * *

"I am so glad that it's Friday," Kurt said as he and Rachel walked through the parking lot. "I need this weekend to relax and recuperate."

"Definitely," Rachel agreed. Week three at McKinley Amusement Park had been just as tiring as the first two. She knew that neither she nor Kurt would actually admit it out loud, but they were both having a lot of fun playing their respective characters.

Before they could make it all the way to their car, a familiar voice stopped them. Rachel looked at Kurt in surprise before they turned to find Jesse St. James coming towards them.

"Rachel, Kurt! It's so good to see the two of you!" Jesse said with a smirk as he approached the two friends.

"Jesse, weren't you just as the park a few weeks ago?" Kurt asked instead of greeting him.

Jesse waved his hand. "My cousins came to visit and insisted on coming to the park. So are you working here now?" The question was directed towards Rachel, and she gave him a half-amused, half-annoyed look in return. "I spent last summer interning with a very renowned director back in California. And I just finished up a little guest spot on a soap opera that I'm sure you've heard of."

"I actually am working here this summer," Rachel said. She tried her best not to take Jesse's bait. Besides, she had a lot to be proud of during the past school year. She had landed a starring role in the spring musical and had been featured in both the winter and spring showcases. Not a lot of sophomores could say that they had done that.

"That's interesting," Jesse said, though he didn't seem really interested at all. "And how is this helping you further your career?"

Rachel bristled at Jesse's implication. "I'm getting quite a bit of practice with my acting," she said. And it wasn't as if it wasn't true. She really was. Acting as Betty Beaver certainly was an experience.

"Oh really? Doing what?"

Rachel didn't know why she said what she said next. She had no explanation for the words that suddenly left her mouth. If anyone asked, Rachel was just going to plead temporary insanity. It was really the only plausible explanation that she could come up with.

"I'm one of the singing mermaids."

* * *

**Author's Note: Oopsies. Rachel just got herself into some trouble! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Musical Chemistry

**Author's Note: Thanks for the great reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"Oh my God, I can't believe that I said that to him!"

Santana shrugged her shoulders. "Personally, I think that a singing mermaid could be considered just as embarrassing as a dancing beaver. But whatever."

Rachel glared at her best friend. "The singing mermaids happen to be the best job at McKinley's," she said stubbornly. "And now Jesse thinks that I'm one! But I'm not!" She buried her face in her hands and let out another groan.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you couldn't just tell him that you actually play the character of Betty Beaver. It's not like it's that bad."

"Santana, Jesse was rubbing it in my face that he got to act on actual television show," Rachel defended. "I had to say _something_. Even Jesse knows that the mermaid spots are very coveted."

"I don't know why you waste your time trying to impress him," Kurt said.

Rachel made a scoffing noise. "I'm not trying to impress him." She had absolutely no feelings towards Jesse at all. It was more like they were constantly in competition with one another and were some weird, twisted kind of version of friends.

"Then I don't understand why you're trying to one-up him. You don't need to prove that you're better than Jesse, Rachel. We already know that you are. And more importantly, you know that you are, too."

Rachel sighed. "I'm just extremely competitive. You both know that."

"Don't try and discourage her, Kurt," Santana said. "You know that she won't let this go until Jesse admits that she's better."

"He doesn't need to admit it," Rachel grumbled as Kurt's cell phone rang. "He just needs to acknowledge my superior talent."

"And that's different how?" Santana asked as she laughed.

Rachel grinned. "It's not." They both turned then to watch Kurt as he basically turned into a little school boy and giggled into the phone. Rachel and Santana smiled—they both knew that he was talking to Blaine Anderson.

"Sure," Kurt said. "That sounds great. We'll be there. See you later tonight, Blaine." When he hung up, Rachel squealed and Santana clapped her hands together in approval.

"Lady Hummel, did you just get a date with the hobbit?" Santana questioned.

Kurt's cheeks flushed. "It's not a date, exactly," he said. "Everyone from work gets together and goes to that karaoke bar a few streets over. They invited us to join them. And yes, Santana. You can come to."

"Karaoke?" Rachel exclaimed excitedly. She loved karaoke. And following with her competitive streak, Rachel enjoyed signing up for the contests and seeing if she could win. Without fail, she won every single time.

"Okay, here we go. Anyone who was ever friends with Rachel won't be after tonight," Santana quipped.

Rachel hit her with a throw pillow. "I don't appreciate you sassing me right now. I'm not that bad."

"The last time you went up against Santana in karaoke competition, you nearly gouged her eyes out. With a spoon from the bar," Kurt pointed out.

"And it was for nothing, since you won anyway," Santana added. "Although I still claim that I'm just as kick-ass."

"Alright, fine." Rachel rolled her eyes. "I get it. I'll tone it down for tonight."

"Excellent." Santana stood up and then turned to yank Rachel from the couch. "Now come on. We need to pick something hot for you to wear tonight if you're going to catch the Jolly Green Giant's attention."

Rachel's entire face turned bright red. "I'm not… I'm not trying to…"

"Yes you are," Santana interrupted. "Now come on."

"I'm coming to!" Kurt exclaimed as he scrambled up from the armchair. "I call dibs on her hair and makeup!"

"No way, Hummel," Santana said. "You're going to make her look like a porn star. I've seen how you do hair and makeup."

"I get to pick her dress, then."

Rachel groaned as Kurt and Santana began to argue back and forth. This was probably going to be a very long night.

* * *

Rachel scowled when both Kurt and Santana slapped her hands away from the hem of her dark blue dress again. She pushed them away and then tugged the end of the dress down.

"Would you stop it, Rachel?" Kurt said. "You look fantastic!"

"Don't you think that this dress is kind of short?" Rachel asked. It was a dark blue with thin straps and a hem that came down somewhere around mid-thigh. It hugged her body but still somehow managed to leave enough to the imagination. Rachel had to admit that she looked great… she just wasn't used to wearing things like this.

"No, that dress isn't that short," Santana said. "And before you say it, your heels aren't too high, either."

Rachel made a face at her best friend. "You're only saying that because your dress is shorter and your heels are higher."

"The point is that you look fine." They had arrived at the karaoke bar now, and Kurt held the door open so that Santana and Rachel could walk by him. "And I'm sure that I'm not going to be the only one to comment on it."

"Five bucks says that the giant won't even be able to talk, he'll be drooling so much," Santana said.

Kurt smirked. He knew his brother, and he knew that Finn would be reduced to nothing more than a pile of drool once he saw Rachel. "I'll take that bet!"

Rachel ignored her friends as she pushed past them and scanned the bar for the table that the rest of their co-workers had procured. Mindful of the heels that Santana had dressed her in, Rachel carefully picked her way through the tables until she reached their friends.

"Rachel!" Tina exclaimed when she noticed her. "We're so glad that you could make it!" She stood to hug Rachel. When she pulled away, the entire table got a good luck at Rachel's appearance, as well as Kurt and Santana's arrival.

Finn's mouth dropped open when he saw Rachel. He could do nothing more than stare at her as she talked to Tina, his eyes wide. Over on the side, Santana nudged Kurt and held her hand out. With a sigh, Kurt placed a five dollar bill in the smug Latina's hand.

Puck nudged Finn with his elbow. "Your girl is looking good tonight," he muttered just so Finn could hear.

"Don't even think about it," Finn said through gritted teeth as he leveled his friend with a dark glare. "And she's not my girl." But Puck knew how much Finn wanted Rachel, so there was no denying it.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Please. Q would kick my ass." To everyone's surprise, Quinn had agreed to go on a date with Puck. "And besides, she could be your girl if you just found your balls and asked her out."

Finn didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes remained trained on Rachel as she greeted everyone. Once she turned to face him, Finn pushed Ryder out of the chair next to him and then pulled it back, offering it to Rachel.

"Here, Rach," Finn said. "You can sit here."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked as she looked at Ryder. He had pretty much fallen flat on the ground when Finn had pushed him out of the seat. "I can find another chair."

"Oh, it's no problem," Ryder assured her. He smirked at Finn, because he knew about Finn's feelings for Rachel as well. He pulled another chair from a nearby table and fit it between Tina and Jake's chairs. "Just go ahead and sit next to Finn."

Rachel sank into the chair next to Finn, well aware of his eyes on her. She crossed her legs and became distracted by the way the hem of her skirt rose up. Finn, on the other hand, immediately noticed the new expanse of thigh revealed.

"You look amazing," Finn said blurted without any preamble.

"Really?" Rachel asked before she could stop herself. Finally, she wasn't simply "cute." It was good to know that it was only when she was in the beaver costume that he considered her cute. As Rachel looked at him, she could practically see the sparks flying between them. She didn't think that she was imaging it, but she couldn't know for sure.

Finn's hand brushed over her knee. The contact was brief and fleeting, but Rachel felt the tingles on her skin long after Finn's fingers had left. "You do," he told her. He really couldn't get over how amazing she looked. In Finn's opinion, she looked gorgeous all the time—whether it was in her Betty Beaver costume, in her park-issued uniform, in shorts and a t-shirt, or dressed like this.

Blaine asked Finn a question, and he turned his attention towards the other side of the table. Finn's distraction allowed Rachel to take in his appearance fully, and she certainly appreciated it. He was wearing jeans and a black sweater that hugged his chest, and she loved the way that his hair always looked messy.

Eventually, they got themselves situated. "So who's going first?" Blaine asked as he plopped the song list on the table.

"I will!" Kurt said immediately. "Actually…" He turned towards Blaine with a smile on his face before he looked at the rest of the table. "What do you say we make this interesting? We'll break into teams and do duets."

The group agreed and then proceeded to break into duos. Tina and Ryder, along with Marley and Jake declared themselves as partners. Mercedes volunteered to sing with Mike, and Kurt and Blaine announced that they would be singing together. Puck and Sam started planning what rock song they were going to do, and Santana and Brittany picked a fun pop song to sing.

Finn turned to Rachel with that adorable half smile on his face. "So what do you say, Rach? Do you want to duet together?"

"Sure," Rachel said with a smile as she reached for the song list. "But I'll have you know that I'm very competitive. So I plan on winning."

"I always play to win," Finn told her as his eyes darkened a little bit.

Rachel squeezed his hand. "Fantastic." She began to scan the list and Finn just watched her with a smile playing on his lips. Neither of them noticed that everyone else at the table was watching them as well.

"Aha!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed. She tapped her fingers on the title of one of the songs and drew Finn's attention to it. "I found the perfect song."

Finn checked the song before he grinned. "That is the perfect song."

"What is it?" Kurt asked as he tried to look over Finn's shoulder. "Good Lord, Finn. Why are you so tall? I can't see around you at all."

Both Rachel and Finn snatched the list away at the same time, holding it protectively between them. "There is absolutely no way that we're letting you see the song that we chose," Rachel said.

"Yeah, Kurt. You just go with Blaine and worry about what song you two are going to sing," Finn added as he waved his brother away.

"Oh great," Santana muttered to Kurt. "He's competitive just like she is. It's almost disgusting how perfect they are for one another."

"Disgustingly cute," Kurt agreed. But they were both smiling, because they were happy that Rachel was going to end up with a boyfriend soon. Eventually it would happen, if they would both suck it up and make a move.

Everyone began to argue over what spot they would be taking for the duets. When Finn was about to speak up for a spot, Rachel put a hand on his arm to stop him. When he looked down at her, she said, "We're going to take the last spot. They always save the best for last."

Finn sat back and looked down at the hand that Rachel still had on his arm. A smile played on his lips. "I like the way you think, Rachel Berry."

They settled back and watched as Kurt and Blaine did their song first. Everyone was actually very good and they were all very talented. But even never having heard Finn sing before, Rachel just had a feeling that they were going to win.

Eventually, Finn and Rachel were called to the stage. Finn handed Rachel a microphone and gave her a warm smile.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Rachel beamed at him. "I always am."

As the pair stepped out onto the stage, the beginning chords of Journey's "Faithfully" began. Finn sang first, and his smooth, deep voice sent shivers up Rachel's spine. Luckily, she didn't miss her cue and she began to sing her lines. Finn stared at her with awe until it was time for both of them to sing together.

Something happened, then. Rachel had done many duets in her lifetime, but it had never felt like _this_. This was beyond singing. With the way that Finn was looking at her and singing to her… it was like he was seeing straight through to her soul.

Finn and Rachel didn't realize it because they were too caught up in singing together, but the entire bar fell quiet as they watched the events unfolding up on stage. Something had happened when Finn and Rachel sang together. They were entranced by each other and had caught the attention of everyone in the audience as well.

By the time the song had ended, they were standing nearly chest to chest, hands intertwined. As the last notes of the piano disappeared, Finn and Rachel stared into each other's eyes. Only the sound of the enthusiastic applause broke them apart.

They turned to find that the entire crowd was giving them a standing ovation. Rachel and Finn both grinned as they took their bows before Finn held his hand out to Rachel. She placed her smaller hand in his, allowing the warmth of his fingers to envelope hers as he helped her off the stage. Hand-in-hand, they made their way back to the table.

"You guys totally kicked ass up there," Ryder said as soon as Finn and Rachel sat down.

Brittany nodded her head in agreement. "That was a really pretty song."

Rachel hadn't realized that she was still holding Finn's hand, but she didn't make any move to let it go. Neither did he. Rachel squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "You sounded fantastic up there, Finn. You're very talented. I should know, since I'm talented too."

Finn squeezed her hand in return. They were gazing at each other, just smiling as those sparks passed between them once again. It was Kurt's voice that brought them out of their reverie.

"I can't believe that you sang a Journey song," he grumbled. "Everyone is a sucker for Journey. You two are sure to win."

"Don't be a sore loser, Kurt," Finn said. "Rach and I kicked some ass up there."

The MC got up on the stage then, ready to announce the victors of the karaoke competition. "And the winners are… Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry!"

Rachel let out an excited squeal before she stood and promptly towed Finn towards the stage. They accepted their little novelty trophy and their sashes. They were led off to the side, where they were to take a picture to celebrate their win.

Finn slung an arm around Rachel's waist and pulled her close. His other hand held the trophy up in view of the camera shot. Rachel turned into him, resting her hand on his chest and they both smiled brightly for the camera.

It really had been a great night. And as Finn smiled down at Rachel, she had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last one.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading!**


	6. The Tables Are Turned

**Author's Note: You guys are so great! Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Rachel let out a quiet groan and rolled her shoulders underneath her costume. She and Finn were hanging out by one of the rides, greeting the park goers as they got on and off. There was a lull in the visitors, and it allowed both Finn and Rachel to relax for a little bit.

Just as Rachel was about to lean against the fence in front of the ride, a kid ran up behind her and yanked on the tail of her costume. He pulled so hard that Rachel went stumbling forward, completely having lost her balance. She couldn't believe that she was about to face plant—in a beaver costume, no less—in front of all these people.

Thankfully, PJ Platypus was there to save Betty Beaver from complete humiliation. Finn caught Rachel against him, keeping his arms wrapped around her until she was righted once again.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked lowly. They technically weren't allowed to talk while in their costumes, because it would "shatter the illusion of their characters" or something. But Finn really didn't care in that moment.

Rachel made sure that all parts of her beaver costume were properly adjusted before she said, "Yes, I'm fine." She smiled, even though Finn couldn't see her face. "Thank you."

He squeezed her glove-covered hand with his own before letting go of her completely. "No problem."

Rachel turned just in time to see the little kid that had basically attacked her smirk evilly before he threw an empty water bottle at her and ran away. Rachel gaped after him, completely astounded by that child's behavior.

"Doesn't anyone teach their children manners anymore?" Rachel grumbled. She was so fed up with the rude people. It was another unbelievably hot day, and Rachel wanted nothing more than to take a shower and go home. She was tired and cranky and the last thing she wanted to do was dance in the parade.

It was the year of McKinley Amusement Park's fiftieth anniversary. As part of the celebration, all of the characters and many of the workers in the park got together and did a parade and dance throughout the amusement park at the end of every day.

Normally, Rachel had a lot of fun participating in the parade. They got to interact with the park-goers and dance and have fun with them. Today, however, was just a day where Rachel didn't want to have to deal with it.

"You'd be surprised, Rach," Finn said. Looking over towards the entrance of the park, Finn could see everyone gathering. Turing back to Rachel, he said, "Are you ready?"

She sighed. "I suppose so." They both moved to their spots in the parade. The park had even gone as far as to create a float for the occasion. Rachel was embarrassed to admit that she had accidently run into it while in her costume more than once.

"Hey, are you okay?" Finn asked.

Rachel nodded her head. "I'm fine," she told him. "Just tired, that's all."

Finn squeezed her shoulder, and she could imagine that he was smiling at her even though she couldn't see his face. Just the thought of that smile and the fact that he was trying to comfort her even though they were wearing ridiculous costumes made her feel better. She relaxed a little bit and got into her spot next to Finn.

Before the parade could start, Kurt ran up and tugged on Rachel's costume tail to get her attention. She glared at him so hard that Rachel hoped he could feel it all the way through his alligator head. He ignored her frosty demeanor and said, "Jesse is here."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Kurt, why would I care that Jesse is here? I just want to finish with the parade today and go home."

Kurt planted his hands on his hips. Even though Rachel couldn't see the look on his face, he did look a bit ridiculous standing there like that in his alligator costume. "Did you forget where the parade is supposed to end?"

Oh, that's right. Every day, the parade ended by the mermaid lagoon. She couldn't see what the problem with that was or why Kurt was being so weird about it… until she remembered what she had told Jesse over a week ago.

"Oh no," Rachel said. "Oh my God! No!"

"Rachel, are you okay?" Finn asked, alarmed by her sudden change in demeanor.

Before Rachel could say anything, Kurt answered for her. "Rachel told Jesse that she was a mermaid."

Finn actually yanked his PJ Platypus head off and looked down at Rachel with an unreadable expression on his face. His jaw had tightened, though, and it was enough to see that Finn was somewhat annoyed and frustrated. Rachel bit her lip and found herself wanting to help him relax again.

"It was an accident!" Rachel exclaimed. Turning to Finn, she said, "He kept talking about his role on that soap opera and he was putting my job here at the amusement park down and I just said the first thing that came to mind."

Kurt nodded his head. "Jesse was actually very impressed when Rachel said that she had a job as a mermaid. It is one of the most coveted jobs at the amusement park, after all."

Finn rolled his eyes. "So why don't you get a job as a mermaid then, Kurt?"

Kurt glared at Finn (which looked equally ridiculous while he was still in the alligator costume) before his cheeks reddened. He was thankful that no one could really see him. "They don't have jobs for male mermaids."

Rachel took off her costume head as well. "I really didn't mean to say it, Finn," she said. Rachel didn't know why it was so important to her that she convince Finn that she wasn't trying to impress Jesse. Scratch that—she did know. She was past just crushing on Finn now. "I panicked it just kind of slipped out."

Finn watched her for several long moments before he pulled the platypus head back on. "We're going to have to come up with a plan, then."

* * *

Rachel didn't know why Finn was so intent on helping her when she had put herself in this mess all on her own. But here she was, searching for Jesse in the crowds as they danced through the amusement park. Finn was helping her as well as he did his own version of dancing.

Kurt was on the float, acting as look out and ready to perform the second part of their plan. Rachel still was caught up on the look on Finn's face when she had told him that she lied to Jesse about being a mermaid. He had almost looked… hurt.

Rachel wasn't ashamed of her character of Betty Beaver at the amusement park. She was just tired of Jesse trying to one-up her and had said the first thing that had come to mind. Even so, Finn was still trying to help her pull this lie off.

Suddenly, Finn's gloved hand covered hers as he gently tugged. He discreetly pointed over to the left side, where Rachel could see Jesse following along with the parade. Rachel squeezed Finn's hand in response before she danced over to where Jesse was.

As the characters in the park, they all got to pick people to dance with during the parade. Subsequently, they got to pick the King for the day, as well. Normally, Finn, Rachel, Kurt, and Brittany picked parents out of the crowd. They were generally good-natured and willing to participate. This time, however, they were picking Jesse as the King to keep him distracted from the mermaid lagoon.

Rachel grabbed Jesse's hand and, despite his protests, pulled him into the parade. He looked like he was having the worst time of his life as Rachel attempted to dance with him. And then, to her complete amusement, Finn came up next to Jesse and started to encourage him to dance as well. She had to bite back a laugh as they both guided Jesse over to the float.

Kurt pulled Jesse up and then he was crowned King for the day. The parade came to a stop in the mermaid lagoon, but by the time Jesse got off the float the mermaids had already gone back into the locker room.

Rachel tugged her costume head off just as Finn did. Looking up at him, she reached for his hand as she said, "Thank you, Finn. I really appreciate it."

Finn gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He allowed her to hold onto his hand for a moment before he let go. "Anytime, Rach," he said before he disappeared into the locker room. He meant every word that he said, but he just couldn't stand thinking about Rachel and Jesse.

Despite the success of their little plan, Rachel didn't feel any better. In fact, she found herself kind of wishing that Jesse had found out that she wasn't a mermaid. It would have made everything so much easier, and then she didn't need to feel awful about Finn trying to help her with this lie. This wasn't his problem to deal with and he clearly didn't agree with her, yet he helped her anyway. She could feel herself falling even more for him than she already had.

"Rachel, dear, are you okay?" Kurt asked as he joined her. They both sat on one of the park benches as Rachel ran a hand through her messy hair. She sighed and gave Kurt a small smile.

"Thank you for helping me," she said instead of answering his question.

Kurt wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, Rachel. You're one of my closest friends. Now would you tell me what's bothering you?"

It was a little odd, discussing her feelings for Finn with his younger brother, who also just happened to be one of her closest friends. Still, she had always talked about the boys she liked with Kurt.

"I just… I really like Finn but I… I don't…" Rachel didn't even know what she was trying to say. She hadn't meant to drag Finn into this mess with Jesse, and the last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt. She just wanted to be with Finn, but she had dug herself into a hole and now she needed to find a way out. Kurt gave her a sympathetic squeeze of her shoulders.

"Aw, Rachel. Finn will come around, I promise. I think it's obvious that he likes you."

Rachel smiled before she hugged Kurt tightly. She just had to trust that everything was going to work out. Rachel was strong and smart, and she knew exactly what she wanted. She was going to go after it, too. "Thank you, Kurt."

"Of course, my darling diva," Kurt said. He stood up then and tried to flatten out his hair. "I'm going to head into the locker room. Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Rachel said. She just wanted a little bit of time to herself before she headed back in to change. She had to figure this out somehow.

* * *

The locker room was empty when Rachel finally shuffled her way into it. She peeled off her beaver costume and stored it in her locker. She stood there in her tank top and shorts, just enjoying the feeling of not wearing the heavy fur outfit anymore. It was one of her favorite parts of the day.

Rachel heard another locker open and close, and she jumped. She hadn't realized that someone else was in here with her. Just out of curiosity, she peeked around to the other row to see who it was. When she saw that other person, her mouth promptly jumped open and her eyes went wide.

It was Finn.

But it was a Finn who had just stepped out of the shower. His hair was still damp and messy, and he had towel slung around his waist. Droplets of water rolling down his firm chest, and his muscles rippled in his arms and back as he searched for something in his locker.

Rachel could do nothing more than stare as she watched him. She was staring at the perfect specimen of a man, and she was practically drooling. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rachel became aware of the fact that she shouldn't just stare at him. But she just couldn't pull herself away.

Finn's hands moved to the edge of the towel, as if he was about to pull it away. Rachel's breath caught in her throat. She felt no shame in wanting to see what was under that towel. Just when he was going to drop it, however, he smirked and said, "I know you're there, Rachel."

Rachel jumped and felt her cheeks turn bright red. She hid behind the row of lockers, pressing her face to the cool metal in the hope that it would provide some relief to her overheated skin. She waited there, unsure of what to do since she had basically just gotten caught openly ogling Finn.

"Rachel," Finn repeated. She could practically hear the smile in his voice.

She could either run away and pretend that this hadn't happened or she could face Finn in all his shirtless glory. Rachel took a deep breath before she made her decision… and then she stepped out from behind the lockers.

She smiled. "Hello, Finn."

Finn grinned at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. Her eyes were drawn to the movement, her eyes darkening. That towel was still wrapped around his hips, slung even lower than before, and Rachel tried not to eye it for too long. "Rachel," he said again.

Rachel suddenly remembered the day that Finn walked in on her changing. This was some kind of karmic payback, she knew it.

"Listen, Finn," Rachel said. She kept her eyes focused on his face instead of looking at the towel or his impressive chest and arms. "I really wanted to thank you—again—for helping me today."

Finn took a step towards her. "It wasn't a big deal," he said. But it had been, and they both knew it.

Rachel shook her head. "You didn't have to do that. But you did anyway."

He took another step. "I wanted to."

"Really?" Rachel moved closer to him as well. Looking up into his eyes, Rachel saw nothing but complete sincerity.

Now they were practically chest to chest. "Really."

They gazed at each other for several long moments. The air between them practically crackled with their connection, and it was nearly tangible. Rachel wanted nothing more than to reach forward, touch his chest, then stretch up on her tiptoes and kiss him.

Somewhere on the other side of the locker room, the doors slammed open. They could hear Sam and Mike talking as they came in from their shifts. Rachel closed her eyes and let out a quiet sigh before she looked at Finn again.

"You should probably get dressed," Rachel said. Her eyes dropped down to his chest and she licked her lips. When she looked up at Finn again, he had a smirk on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and he was enjoying it.

"I'll see you later, Rach," was all Finn said before he turned back to his locker.

Rachel turned to go, but looked over her shoulder at the last second. She looked just in time to see Finn pull the towel from his body.

And she may have stopped for a moment to admire the view.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading!**


	7. Another Step Closer

**Author's Note: As always, thank you so much for the amazing reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"The party this year is going to be killer, dude."

Rachel popped the top on her salad as she sat down next to Kurt at their table. It was during their lunch break and all of their friends had gathered at their usual table. "What party?" she asked in response to Puck's comment.

"That's right," Sam said. "We have to add you and Kurt to the invite list." He smirked and added, "We should probably add Santana, too."

"What party?" Kurt repeated. "Is this a fancy party? Is there a theme? Should I dress up?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "It's not that kind of party, Petunia. We're just having a bonfire and beer."

"It's our pre-Fourth of July party," Finn explained after he chuckled at Kurt's affronted look. "Since we have that big performance on the actual Fourth of July, we have our party the weekend before."

"We can't be hungover on the Fourth," Puck said. "Because we have to spend all day in the park and that would just suck. Trust me, you don't want to have to do that."

"Mike's parents have this big field behind their house," Sam added. "That's normally where we go. It's the best party of the summer!" He high-fived Puck after that, as they were both eager for the party that Saturday.

"You said there wasn't a theme," Kurt grumbled. "But since it's the Fourth of July, I can only assume that it will have a patriotic theme to it. So everyone will be dressed in red, white, and blue, correct?"

"One can assume so," Rachel said just to humor Kurt.

Kurt grabbed Rachel's arm. "We only have two days to search for a dress for you that will fit the theme. We're definitely going shopping after work. And don't tell Santana, either. I don't want her trying to take over the trip."

"Why don't I just go shopping for my own dress?" Rachel suggested. At the appalled look on Kurt's face, she held her hands up. "Never mind, then."

Finn chuckled and caught Rachel's eye. He gave her a sympathetic look before he winked at her, and Rachel smiled and suppressed a giggle.

They were distracted when Mike sat down at the table with a highly dejected look on his face. Tina slid into her spot next to him and immediately noticed how put-out her boyfriend seemed.

"Mike, what's wrong?" Tina asked.

He frowned before he said, "Sugar somehow found out about the party and pretty much invited herself."

"Dude!" Puck exclaimed. "Now we'll have to invite all of the mermaids!"

Sam gave Puck a pointed look. "You got special permission to invite Quinn this year, Puck. This was bound to happen. I bet they did one of their freaky mermaid sharing things and Quinn probably told them. Shit, and now we're going to have to have Kitty and Harmony there, too."

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "The mermaids don't really like hanging out with us. They like to do their own thing, so I doubt that Kitty, Harmony, and Sugar are going to be spending much time around the party. They'll probably bail within an hour."

Sam clapped Finn on the back. "Finn, always the logical one."

Puck snorted. "Since when?"

Finn punched Puck on the arm, and he winced and rubbed it. "Thanks for that, asshole," Finn grumbled.

"Well, you're right," Puck said. Turning to Rachel, he added, "Aren't you glad that you didn't end up as a mermaid, Berry? You got invited to the most kick-ass party of the summer."

Rachel looked into Finn's eyes as she spoke. "I am glad," she said. She was being completely truthful—she really was happy that she didn't end up as a mermaid this summer. She just wanted Finn to know that.

And when he returned her smile, it kind of seemed like he did.

* * *

Rachel rolled her eyes as Santana made yet another crude comment. "Tana, you need to stop." Rachel was thoroughly embarrassed by Santana's increasingly loud and extremely inappropriate comments about her and Finn.

"What?" Santana smirked and didn't even bother to deny it. "It's true. This party could be the night that you and Tubs finally hook up."

"Finn most definitely is not tub-like in any way," Rachel immediately said. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered seeing him in the locker room in nothing but a towel. "His body is fantastic."

"Down girl."

Rachel glared at her friend before she continued. "And I don't want this to be just a hookup. I really like Finn and I want—"

"Good Lord, you want an actual relationship with the Jolly Green Giant," Santana teased before she smiled. "Good for you, Berry. I'm happy for you." She pointed a threatening finger at Rachel then. "But don't tell anyone that I like the dude."

Rachel laughed as she searched through the rack of dresses in front of her. "I won't ruin your reputation. Don't worry, Tana." As she pushed each dress aside, Rachel grew increasingly frustrated. All she wanted was a nice dress for the party that night, and it seemed like the universe wanted to give her the exact opposite. "Ugh, there isn't a single dress here!"

"What about this one?" Santana suggested. She pulled a red tube dress from the rack and held it up to Rachel. "This would look perfect on you."

Rachel hit Santana with another dress. "Would you stop trying to make fun of me and help me find a dress?" she pleaded. "The party is in three hours."

"That's what you get for waiting until the last minute," Santana quipped. "That's normally not like you."

"I had work and I was tired," Rachel defended. Rachel and Santana had planned on going shopping the previous Friday night, but Rachel had been so tired that when she got home from work, she had lay down on her bed and promptly passed out.

Santana smiled. "I know. Which is why I took the liberty of finding you a dress and putting it on hold."

"You did?" Rachel asked. She hit Santana with the dress again. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wanted to see you sweat a little. But let's just focus on the fact that I'm an amazing friend and found you a fantastic dress. I mean, I would never wear it, but it's definitely something that you would go for. And it's one that Hummel didn't have any say in, so it's even better."

Rachel rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Just show me the dress, Santana."

The Latina went to the front and talked to the girl at the register for a few moments. She returned later with a dress hidden in a garment bag, and she and Rachel went into the dressing room. Santana unzipped the garment bag and then held up the dress for Rachel to see.

"Oh, Santana," Rachel said. "It's perfect!"

The dress was dark blue and made out of a cotton eyelet material. It had thin straps and a sweetheart neckline with a semi-full skirt. It was summery, pretty, and perfect for Rachel. She held it up to her body in the mirror just to see it fully before she tried it on.

"Yeah, I know. Now go try it on."

Rachel quickly tried the dress on. It really was perfect. "Santana, I forgive you for every crude comment you made about me and Finn earlier!"

* * *

Rachel smoothed down the skirt of her dress as she picked her way through the field. Santana had already ditched her and was holding court over on the other side of the party. Kurt was next to her, but he was too busy searching for Blaine through the crowd.

Thankfully, Tina and Mercedes found them easily. Tina immediately thrust a cup full of pink something in Rachel's hand as she greeted her.

"Girl, you look fabulous!" Mercedes exclaimed. "We're so glad that you're here!"

"Has anyone seen Blaine yet?" Kurt asked as he stood on his tiptoes.

Tina waved her hand dismissively. "Please, we don't need the boys yet! And this is a fantastic song. So chug those drinks and let's get out on the dance floor!"

Kurt and Rachel looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before they followed Tina and Mercedes onto the dance floor. Neither chugged their drinks (because that just wasn't something they did) but they did hold on to them and continue to sip their drinks as they danced.

Rachel didn't know what was in that pink drink, but she could definitely taste the alcohol. It was strong enough that she didn't object to a second drink as she continued to dance with her friends.

Off to the side, Finn was standing with Puck, Quinn, Mike, and Sam. Finn hadn't taken his eyes off of Rachel since she had walked in the party. He sipped at his beer, not really paying attention to his friends.

Puck was standing with his arm slung around Quinn's shoulders, but he noticed how distracted Finn was. "Hudson, why don't you just go and dance with her already?"

"Dance?" Finn pulled himself from his thoughts. "I don't dance." But he would dance with Rachel without a second thought.

"True. She might not want to date you if she sees how you dance."

Mike nudged Finn. "Oh, leave the poor guy alone. It's not his fault that he can't dance."

Finn glared at all of his friends. "That's because you're the best dancer, Mike. So shut the hell up." He quickly chugged the rest of his beer and then discarded his cup. "You know, I think I will go out there with Rachel."

"Shit," Sam muttered to Mike. "How much do you think he's had to drink? He never willingly goes out on the dance floor."

Meanwhile, Rachel was just losing herself in the music. Kurt had found Blaine a few minutes ago, and Tina had gone off with the intent to pull Mike out to dance with her. Mercedes had been in charge of keeping the cups filled, so she had already gone off to get more drinks.

A pair of hands suddenly landed on Rachel's waist, and she was pulled back against a broad chest. Rachel wasn't afraid, however; she knew who it was right away. Rachel smiled and began to roll her hips as she slid her hands over his.

Finn ducked his head down so his mouth was right next to Rachel's ear. "You look amazing tonight," he muttered. It was different from how she had been dressed at the karaoke club, but she still looked beautiful all the same.

Rachel leaned her head back against Finn's chest as she moved against him. He did nothing besides bounce to the beat behind her, but Rachel didn't mind. She loved the way he was holding her against him. "You don't look so bad yourself," she said. One of her hands slid up behind Finn's neck, her fingers tangling in the hair at his nape. Finn's hands tightened on her waist in return, and his cheek pressed against hers.

The alcohol allowed them to abandon their inhibitions. It wasn't clouding their judgment, and they were in complete control of their actions. However, they were just inebriated enough that they weren't afraid to do what they wanted. And Finn wanted Rachel, and she wanted him in return.

They danced to another song before they went and joined their friends off on the edge of the party. Finn slung an arm around Rachel's waist and pulled her against him. She snuggled into his side, curling one fist in his shirt. Their friends watched with amused, knowing looks on their faces, but Rachel and Finn just ignored them.

Finn was talking animatedly about the fireworks that would be set off later that night (it was pretty much his favorite part of the Fourth of July), when Rachel stretched up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He was just too adorable for her not to. Her lips lingered there, smiling when she heard Finn's breath catch.

Finn stopped talking abruptly and looked down at her, that half smile lifting his lips. He brushed her hair away from her face, his fingers lingering on the curve of her cheek. His calloused thumb tugged gently on her bottom lip, and she pursed her lips to kiss the pad of his thumb. Rachel beamed at him and he took her hand, leading her off to a slightly more secluded area so they could watch the fireworks.

Jake and Ryder had been nominated to remain sober and be in charge of the entertainment for the night. After a few minor mishaps, the fireworks were eventually set off. The crowd of college students and coworkers watched the display with amazement and awe.

Finn had sat on the ground, leaning against a large tree that was off to the side. Rachel settled herself between his legs, leaning against his broad chest. His arms were wrapped around her waist and her tiny hands were resting over his large ones.

Rachel tilted her head back to look at Finn. He smiled down at her, and Rachel stretched up, intent on kissing him. Finn seemed to have the same idea, as his lips moved towards hers and one of his hands came up to cup her cheek.

Just as their lips were about to touch, however, Finn pulled back. Rachel opened her eyes as tears suddenly came to them. She held them back when Finn didn't pull completely away from her; in fact, he kept his arm wrapped around her waist and his free hand against her cheek.

"Finn?" she whispered.

"Rachel…" Finn licked his lips. "I've wanted to kiss you since I've first met you. But we've been drinking tonight and I just want this to be something that we'll both remember without any haze. You deserve better than that, Rachel." As he spoke, his calloused thumb brushed back and forth on Rachel's cheek. She stared into his eyes and knew that he was being completely sincere.

"Really?" Rachel whispered.

Finn leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. Rachel's eyes drifted shut as his lips tenderly lingered against her skin. He really did like her, and he wanted to do this the right way.

When Rachel opened her eyes again, she saw that Finn was smiling down at her. "Really," he said.

Rachel beamed at him. "That's very chivalrous of you," she murmured. Another few moments passed with them just smiling at each other before she suddenly said, "Come back to my apartment with me." At the amused look on Finn's face, she added, "Not to do anything. Just to spend some time together."

Finn tightened his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. "That sounds great."

Once the fireworks were finished, Finn and Rachel didn't waste any time in going back to her apartment. Only when they were there did they realize how tired they were. Rachel disappeared into the bathroom to change into her pajamas while Finn stripped down to his boxers. She came out in a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top, and Finn took her hand and squeezed it when she came over to him.

They crawled into her bed, and Finn wrapped her arms around her as she rested her head against his chest. He traced soothing patterns on her back, and Rachel smiled as she felt sleep creep up on her.

This was the greatest feeling, better than anything she could have ever imagined. She loved being wrapped in Finn's arms. She felt secure and safe, and it made her feel like she could ask for the moon and Finn would give it to her without question. This was real.

The last thing she saw before she slipped into slumber was Finn's smiling face.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Awwww. Finchel went to a party and had lots of fun and ended up cuddling. I can't stay away from cute fluffy Finchel. I'm not even sorry about it.**


	8. The Switch Up

**Author's Note: Aw, I'm so glad that you all liked the cute Finchel in the last chapter! Thanks for the great response. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"So I've figured out why you've been in such a bad mood during the past two days."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. She was currently out for lunch with Santana, Tina, and Mercedes. Santana was right; Rachel had been in a pretty foul mood for the past two days. She hadn't meant to be so obvious with her friends, though.

"Oooh, I know why, too!" Tina exclaimed.

"Enlighten me, then," Rachel said.

Mercedes shook her head. "Girl, it is so obvious."

Sharing a smirk with Mercedes and Santana, Tina said, "It's because you haven't been laid by Finn yet."

Rachel's cheeks turned bright red. "Tina!"

"Don't even try and deny it, Berry," Santana interjected. "It's true."

Rachel didn't want to admit it, but her friends were totally right. It had been two days since the pre-Fourth of July party—two days since she had woken up in Finn's arms.

They hadn't been able to talk about the status of their relationship because Kurt had been extremely hungover and needed to be taken care of. Then the Monday and Tuesday after that had proven to be very busy. They were preparing for their big Fourth of July performance on that Wednesday, and Rachel and Finn barely had any time to talk, let alone relax.

So yes, Rachel had been in a very bad mood. According to Sam, Finn had been in an equally horrible one, so at least she wasn't alone in her feelings. She couldn't wait until the show was over. Then she and Finn could finally have their discussion—and that kiss.

"We had such a nice night together," Rachel lamented. "And we haven't had a chance to talk since then. I just want this Fourth of July performance thing to be over."

Santana snorted. "That's really saying a lot, since you practically live for performing."

Rachel made a face. "While I do appreciate any chance to perform and use it as a reason to practice, I hardly think dancing on a stage dressed as a beaver falls under that category."

Before anyone could respond, a shadow fell over their table. The four girls looked up to see Jesse St. James standing in front of them. Santana rolled her eyes at his sudden appearance, as he definitely wasn't her favorite person.

"St. Jackass," she greeted.

"Santana," Jesse said pleasantly. He was used to her jabs. Turning to Rachel, he said, "So I have some news for you, Rachel. All of our friends from our community theater have decided to come up for the Fourth and I thought that it would be a wonderful idea for us to take them to your little amusement part function."

"Excuse me?" Rachel said after a long moment of trying to process what Jesse said. She wasn't really sure what he was getting at.

"Everyone wants to see you, Rachel," Jesse said. "And since the mermaids aren't performing, you should have some free time, correct?"

That's right. Jesse still thought that she had a job as a mermaid. She had no plausible reason as to why she couldn't join him and their old theater friends during the performance—except that she was supposed to be up on that stage. In addition, the amusement park characters were supposed to do a meet and greet.

Tina, Mercedes, and Santana watched intently as they waited to see what Rachel would do. She bit her lip and made a split-second decision that she would probably regret later.

"Sure," Rachel said with a tight smile. "That sounds like fun."

* * *

Rachel paced back and forth as she tried to figure out what to do. She, Tina, Mercedes, and Santana had returned back to her apartment after their encounter with Jesse. There had to be some way that they could make this work.

"I'm with Santana on this one," Mercedes announced. "You should have just told him."

Rachel gave her an incredulous look. "What could I have possibly said? 'Hey, Jesse! By the way, I'm not actually a mermaid. I just lied so that I wouldn't seem pathetic. But in reality, that lie was pretty pathetic.' Yes, because that would have gone over so well."

"Stop freaking out," Tina soothed. "We'll come up with a plan. We'll just have to be a little crafty about it, that's all."

Rachel chewed on her lower lip in frustration. "I have the meet and greet and then the performance. There is no way that I can skip out on it."

"You have to be there to do the dance," Tina said in agreement. Rachel, Finn, Kurt, and Brittany had spent days learning the special dance that was needed for the Fourth of July performance. There was no way that they could teach it to anyone overnight. "But as for the meet and greet…"

Mercedes snapped her fingers. "I see where you're going with this, Tina!"

"Then share with the rest of the class, kids," Santana quipped. "We don't have time for this."

Mercedes grinned. "What Tina is trying to say is that someone can take Rachel's place in the Betty Beaver costume for the meet and greet."

"Then, when it's time for the dance, Rachel can change into the costume really fast. We'll come up with some excuse for her. She'd only be gone for ten minutes at the most," Tina continued. "Once the performance is over, she can go back and Jesse wouldn't be able to figure it out!"

Rachel smiled and nodded enthusiastically. It sounded like it could really work. "That's actually a wonderful idea!"

"Um, hello?" Santana waved her hands to get everyone's attention. "I'm going to ask the obvious question: who's going to be taking Berry's place?"

"That costume definitely wasn't made for me," Mercedes said. "So there's no way that I can do it."

"I can't, either," Tina said. "I've been put in charge of one of the concession stands and no one can take my place."

They spent another ten minutes going through the list of workers at the amusement park. However, every person that they came up with couldn't work. They almost lost all hope until Rachel looked at Santana. She nudged Tina and pointed at her.

"What do you think, T?" Rachel asked.

Tina immediately caught on to Rachel's idea. "It would be a tight fit, but I think it could work."

Santana noticed that now all three girls were studying in her. "What could work?" she demanded.

"Santana…" Rachel smiled. "How do you feel about beavers?"

* * *

"I really am the greatest best friend ever, you know," Santana grumbled. "I deserve some kind of award for this."

"Yes, yes." Rachel didn't pay much attention to her complaining friend. She was too focused on trying to change the fit of the costume head so that Santana could see out of the two eye slits.

Given that Santana was taller and, well… bustier than Rachel, the beaver costume had been a tight fit. But they had managed, and Santana wouldn't be in it for more than twenty minutes while she did the meet and greet as Betty Beaver.

"No, I'm serious." Santana yanked at the furry costume she was wearing with a scowl on her face. "This thing totally binds in the bust. You're lucky that you have small boobs, Berry. Because this actually kind of hurts."

Rachel stifled a laugh as she turned to face Santana. Her friend did look kind of ridiculous with her head poking out of the shaggy fur, but Rachel knew that if she laughed there would be hell to pay. Instead, she just handed the beaver head to Santana.

There was a knock on the door and Finn opened it, sticking his head in. "Are you two almost ready to go? The meet and greet is about to start."

"Yeah," Santana grumbled as she yanked the costume head on. "Berry, you are so fucking lucky right now." Santana went to stalk out of the room but promptly slammed into the wall. Rachel gasped and practically shoved her entire fist in her mouth to stop from laughing. Santana promptly started muttering curses in Spanish as she maneuvered her way out of the changing area.

Once Santana was gone, Finn slipped into the room to look down at Rachel. He shoved his hands into his pockets and just watched her for a moment. He hadn't yet changed into his platypus costume, but he didn't really seem to be in a hurry.

Rachel was about to say something—about how she wished she hadn't told Jesse that she was a mermaid so that they didn't have to do this—when Finn suddenly spoke. And what he said surprised her so much.

"I'm sorry that I kind of forced you into being Betty Beaver," Finn said quietly.

Rachel's mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about?" she finally managed. She couldn't really comprehend what Finn was getting at.

He shrugged his shoulders. "When I heard that they were giving Sugar the mermaid spot that you were supposed to get, I felt really bad. I had talked Beiste into giving Kurt the spot of Alan Alligator because there wasn't one open in event planning. I knew that they were still looking for someone to play Betty Beaver, and it really would have sucked if you had been out of a job, so…"

Rachel's heart melted. He hadn't even really known her yet, but Finn had gone out of his way to make sure that she hadn't lost out on a job for the summer. He was just a really good guy who was always looking out for people no matter what. Finn had one of the biggest hearts she had ever seen.

She reached out and placed a hand on his chest. Finn's head shot up and he looked right into her eyes, letting out a relieved breath when he saw that she was smiling. Rachel stepped closer, rubbing her fingers over the area above his heart.

"Finn, it may not have exactly been my ideal job, but I don't regret it for one moment," Rachel said.

Finn arched an eyebrow. "Really? It's not exactly glamorous, or anything, and I know—"

Rachel shook her head and pressed her fingers to Finn's lips in order to cut him off. "I may have been set on being a mermaid at the beginning of the summer, but I'm so happy that I ended up here. Do you want to know why?" When Finn nodded his head, Rachel beamed at him. "I met a lot of really great people and made some great friends. And…" Her cheeks pinked. "I met you."

Finn grinned. He caught the hand that Rachel still had resting against his lips and kissed the pads of her fingers. Rachel's breath caught in her throat as Finn slipped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She tightened her fingers around his shirt and stretched up, prepared to accept the kiss that she had been waiting for since she had first met him.

There was a knock on the door again, and Rachel let out a groan and rested her head on Finn's chest. She could have just kissed him then—she knew that he wouldn't have protested. But Rachel didn't want her first kiss with Finn to be rushed or interrupted. So Rachel just hugged him, and Finn chuckled and rubbed his hand soothingly over her back. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Come on, Jolly Green Giant!" Santana yelled when no one answered right away. She banged on the door again. "Let's get moving!"

Finn hugged Rachel tightly, burying his face in her neck. She breathed in his comforting scent and smiled when they pulled away from each other.

"We should meet up later," she said.

Finn nodded his head in agreement. "Meet me by the fountain right before the fireworks?"

"Sounds like a plan," Rachel. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Finn's cheek before she said goodbye to him. She darted past Santana so she wouldn't get stuck hearing her complain about having to wear the beaver costume and made her way out to where Jesse and their friends from the theater were sitting.

Rachel chatted with her friends and eagerly waited for Santana, Finn, Kurt, and Brittany to appear. She didn't have to wait long; they were already making their way over to their blanket.

"Hi, Betty Beaver!" Rachel greeted cheerfully.

Under the beaver's happy grin, Rachel knew that Santana was glaring at her. Still, she allowed Rachel to take a picture with her—but not without pinching her hard in the side. Rachel could see that her friends were eating up the attention from Alan Alligator and Cammi Crocodile, but she was busy looking for PJ Platypus.

Right on cue he appeared, and Rachel held up her camera as she smiled. In the platypus costume, Finn bent to give Rachel a hug and Jesse snapped the picture for them. Rachel giggled when Finn patted her cheek affectionately before they moved on to the next group of people.

"Do you know the people that play the park characters?" Jesse asked casually.

"I do," Rachel said with a little secretive smile. "They're all wonderful people."

Just then, a group of high school boys walking by caught sight of the group of characters. Rachel had to hold her laughter in when she heard one of them say, "Is it just me, or is Betty Beaver suddenly kind of hot?"

* * *

"Come on, Rachel! We only have two minutes until we're supposed to be on stage!"

Rachel scrambled to yank the rest of her costume on. The meet and greet had gone a little overtime and now she was rushed into changing into the beaver costume for the performance. As Rachel ran out of the dressing room, she snatched the costume head from Santana.

Rachel got into her spot between Kurt and Finn and yanked the beaver head on, snapping it into place. It was only when the music had started up and the curtain had lifted that Rachel realized she couldn't see out of the eye slits.

She had never readjusted it after Santana had worn it. Rachel tried not to panic as she moved to the beat of the song. She knew this dance, and she knew the layout of the stage. It wasn't exactly ideal to do it practically blind, but Rachel knew that she could manage it if she had to.

They each had their own little solo parts during the dance, and Rachel's was coming up. She knew that she had to take roughly five steps forward on the stage. But as she moved, she felt her foot catch on something—what, she didn't know.

Rachel could feel herself falling. She swung her arms out, trying to right her balance as best she could, but it was of no use. Rachel slammed hard into the ground, completely wiping out in front of everyone.

And to make matters worse, the beaver head slipped off and rolled off the stage, revealing Rachel's face.

* * *

**Author's Note: Uh-oh. Thanks for reading!  
**


	9. The Beaver And Her Platypus

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! The flashback is in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Well, she had officially scarred every child there for life.

Rachel had laid there on the stage, frozen from mortification for several long moments. Amid cries of, "Mommy, Daddy! Betty Beaver is _dead!_" Rachel finally forced herself to move. Finn helped her get to her feet, but she couldn't even look at him as she ran off the stage.

For the time being, Rachel had locked herself in her dressing room. She had shed the beaver costume and refused to look at it. All of her friends had already knocked on the door, but she had only briefly talked to Kurt and Santana before sending them away.

There was yet another knock on the door. Before Rachel could tell that person to leave, she heard Jesse say, "Rachel, it's me. Why don't you just save us both some trouble and open up?"

Rachel stared at the door, internally debating. She could either face Jesse now or later. At this point, she was already feeling so embarrassed that it was just better to deal with the situation now. There was no use in putting it off only to have that humiliation come up again.

So with a sigh, Rachel stood and opened the door, allowing Jesse to come in. He gave her an amused look as he entered, glancing between Rachel and the beaver costume. A moment of silence passed before Jesse suddenly started laughing.

Rachel sent a dark glare his way and launched a tissue box at him. "It's not funny, Jesse!"

Jesse dodged the tissues and continued to chuckle. "It actually kind of is, if you think about it."

Rachel scowled at him. "Well, I'm glad that you find this so amusing."

"I only find it amusing because you lied about the whole thing in the first place. Rachel, why did you tell me that you were a mermaid? I don't care if you're playing a beaver at some amusement park."

"Right. Because you just had a guest spot on some soap opera," Rachel retorted.

Jesse did look quite pleased with himself. "I know that it's very impressive, but I fail to see what that has to do with you having a summer job playing a beaver."

"Because, whether I like it or not, you have gotten much more experience on that television show," Rachel grumbled. She hated admitting that she was wrong, but there was really no hiding it now. Jesse had beaten her on this one.

Realization came to Jesse's face. "Oh, I see. This is like the time I got the lead in the summer play, so you had to win that talent show. Am I right?"

"Or like the time I won the freshman showcase when you hadn't even been invited to yours, and then you complained about it for several months afterward," Rachel retorted.

"Alright, fine." Jesse made a face. "So we have a bit of history trying to outdo one another. I guess I see where you were coming from, then."

Rachel sighed and nodded her head. What had she been doing? She didn't need to prove to anyone that she was talented. She knew that she was. And, whether people wanted to acknowledge it or not, it took plenty of talent to dress up in a beaver costume and dance all day every day. This competition thing with Jesse had been going on since high school, and it had been long enough.

"Let's call a truce," Rachel finally said. "I'm extremely talented, and you might be almost as talented as I am, so why don't we put this competition thing to rest?"

Jesse ignored Rachel's barb about his talent and he nodded his head. "I agree. Don't be embarrassed about playing the role of Betty Beaver," he said. "My first television role involved me playing a teenager that still wet his bed in a commercial. Yet my performance is worthy of a daytime Emmy, I'm sure of it."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm not embarrassed about playing Betty Beaver," she said. And she really wasn't. Everything she had told Finn only hours before was still true, despite the incident during the performance.

"Good. Oh, and Rachel?"

Rachel turned to look up at him only to find Jesse with a smile on his face. He looked at the beaver head one more time before he chuckled and pointed towards the door.

"That Finn guy really likes you. You should probably give him a chance," Jesse said.

Rachel smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I plan on it."

* * *

Rachel made it to the fountain just minutes before the fireworks were supposed to go off. She didn't even know if Finn was still going to be there. When she saw his tall, strong form next to the fountain, Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

She approached him slowly and reached out, taking his hand in hers. Finn turned immediately to face her, a relieved smile of his own coming onto his face. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I didn't know if you were still going to come," Finn mumbled against her hair.

"I didn't know that you were," Rachel said in response as she returned his embrace. Being in his arms instantly made her feel better. But she forced herself to pull back enough to look up at him. "I'm sorry that I've been so crazy lately."

Finn smiled at her and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered against her skin and Rachel closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being so close to him. "Nah, it's okay," Finn said. He looked down into her eyes, his own amber orbs twinkling. "I like your crazy."

That was pretty much the most perfect thing that Rachel could imagine coming from Finn's mouth. She didn't let another second pass when she surged up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Finn's.

He hauled her against him, returning her kiss with just as much passion. His tongue traced along her bottom lip and Rachel's own parted, allowing him in. This kiss was everything that Rachel dreamed it would be and more. She hadn't realized that it was possible to feel so much all at once.

Finn gently tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, and a breathy moan escaped Rachel's lips. She clutched at his shirt and kept their foreheads pressed together as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Finn…" she whispered.

He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over her soft skin. "I know, baby," he murmured. The affectionate name went straight to Rachel's heart, and she smiled. "I know." He took her hand then and they sat on the edge of the fountain as the fireworks began to go off over their heads.

Rachel rested her head on Finn's shoulder and looped her arm through his. Their hands found each other's, their fingers twining together. Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple, and she knew that this was how it was going to be from now. Every time he so much as touched her, Rachel's entire body felt as if it was on fire.

The finale of the fireworks began and Finn kissed her again. She locked her fingers in his hair, holding him closer. They only broke apart when the air around them was silent once again.

"Let's get out of here," Rachel suggested. "We can have our first official date and watch a move back at my apartment."

"Are you asking me out, Rachel Berry?" Finn said teasingly as he stood up and offered her his hand.

Rachel took it. "Why yes, Finn Hudson. I am. What do you say?"

"I say yes." He gave her a playful smile. "But let me tell you, I can't be persuaded to do anything unbecoming of a proper young man like myself."

"Are you saying that I'm a bad influence?"

"Maybe. But I don't mind."

Rachel smiled up at him with twinkling eyes. "You might be the one who's a bad influence on me, Finn Hudson. But I don't really mind it, either."

* * *

When Rachel woke up, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. She wasn't really used to falling asleep on the couch in her living room, but there she was. And she was using Finn Hudson's chest as a pillow.

Rachel smiled as she looked up into Finn's sleeping face. Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers along the strong line of his jaw. Her touch was feather light, but Finn still turned into her hand anyway. It didn't take long for Rachel to realize that Finn was actually awake.

He turned his head further and pressed a kiss into her palm. Finn's eyes slowly opened, and Rachel beamed at him. That half smile appeared on his face, and he reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Rachel bit her lip and Finn groaned at the action. He tugged it from her teeth with his thumb before he captured her lips with his and tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. Rachel moaned and pressed her body closer to his. She was nestled against him, and one his large hands stroked down her back until it was resting on her behind.

"Mmm, Finn," Rachel murmured as he pulled his lips from hers and attached them to her neck. He quickly found the spot that made Rachel gasp and nipped and sucked at it. His kisses slowed and he gently pressed his lips to hers again.

"Let me take you out to breakfast," Finn muttered as they struggled to catch their breath.

Rachel pouted at him. "I asked you for the date first."

Finn chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. "Well, I'm beating you to it."

Rachel beamed at Finn and kissed him quickly before she got up to get changed. She let Finn into her bedroom, and he settled on the bed as he watched her apply some light makeup. Finn smiled as his eyes drifted over the pictures Rachel had placed around the room. He caught sight of the one tucked by the corner of her mirror, and he stood up and approached her. He put his hands on Rachel's hips and pulled her against him.

"I like that picture," he murmured. Rachel turned to look at the picture he was studying and found that it was the one from the picture day. She had been sitting on Finn's lap and they both just looked so happy.

Rachel leaned back against his chest and smiled. "That's my favorite," she revealed.

Finn kissed her cheek and hugged her against him. "Can I have a copy?"

"You really want one?" Rachel asked as she turned in his arms.

"Yeah, I want one," Finn said with a grin.

Rachel beamed at him, her heart filling at the fact that Finn wanted a picture of them together. She nodded her head and stretched on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Fifteen minutes later, Finn and Rachel were walking down the street hand in hand. They were headed towards Rachel's favorite bagel place. It actually wasn't very far from campus, and she often stopped there for breakfast before her classes.

A smile came on to Finn's lips when he caught sight of NYU's campus. "So I have something to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Rachel asked. "What's that?"

Finn squeezed her hand. "Do you remember your freshman year, when you and Kurt had those solos in the spring musical? My parents came up to see the show and they made me go with them. I remember being completely bored… and then you came on stage."

Rachel looked up at Finn with wide eyes. He smiled down at her, stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

"When you sang, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Finn said softly. "And I know that we didn't meet again until you started working at McKinley, but I just wanted you to know that I never forgot about you."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart fill. She remembered that musical. She had been so lucky to get a solo, since it was practically unheard of for a freshman to procure one. The more she thought about that night, the more she realized that she had seen Finn Hudson before she started working at McKinley Amusement Park. Of course, she had heard of him before since she was one of Kurt's closet friends. But she had never actually met him before this point. Still, she remembered that night well.

_ Rachel was flying high from her success on stage. She had received a standing ovation for her solo, and now her fathers were waiting for her backstage. They were all going out to a celebratory dinner, and Rachel had to change out of her costume before they left._

_ Rachel passed by many different student workers, and they all congratulated her. She had a bright smile on her face as she thanked each person for their praise. She had worked hard for this, and she was so happy to see that it was paying off._

_ Rachel was so excited that she didn't really see where she was going. So when she slammed into someone, she gasped and immediately apologized._

_ "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Rachel exclaimed. "I didn't see where I was going!"_

_ The man she had bumped into gave her an adorable half smile as his amber eyes twinkled. "It's okay," he said._

_ Rachel could feel her heart flutter in her chest as she gave him a smile. Someone called her name, and she looked at the man one last time before she turned and went to find her parents once again._

_ But she couldn't stop herself from looking over her shoulder and seeing the man she had bumped into once again. And he had turned to look back at her, as well._

"I remember you!" Rachel exclaimed. "I can't believe that was you, Finn!"

"And look where we are now," Finn pointed out with a smile. "It's like it was fate, or something."

Rachel stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "You are so cheesy, Mr. Hudson."

Finn pulled her against him. "Don't act like you don't like it."

Rachel didn't have a problem admitting that she did.

* * *

**Author's Note: So we have about two chapters after this. Yay for Finchel! Thanks for reading!**


	10. A Swim In The Mermaid Lagoon

**Author's Note: Thanks for all of the amazing reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"So have you done it in your costumes yet?"

"Ew!" Rachel wrinkled her nose and frowned at Puck as Finn started laughing. "Noah! That's disgusting." Whipping around to face Finn, she pointed a finger at him. "It's not funny, Finn Hudson!"

"I'm sorry baby," Finn said as he tried to stifle his chuckles. He wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her against him, dropping a kiss to the side of her neck. She and Finn had been dating for a little over a month now. They had another three and half weeks until school started up again. Rachel was sad that her time at the amusement park was coming to an end, but she was excited for the new school year to start. She was even happier to know that she'd be starting this year with Finn and all of her new friends.

"What?" Puck shrugged his shoulders and looked unapologetic. "I've always kind of wondered. The last chick that played Cammi Crocodile before Brittany was really hot, but she never let me see her in the costume."

"You better not let Quinn hear you say that," Rachel pointed out. "She won't be very happy."

Puck waved his hand dismissively. "Q knows that I'm a sex shark. And she definitely appreciates it." He made a crude gesture and Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Hudson," Puck continued. "Looks like you're dating a prude."

Rachel gasped dramatically. "Excuse me, Noah! The details of my and Finn's intimate relationship is none of your business!"

Finn's arms tightened around Rachel's waist and he kissed her cheek this time. He smirked before he said, "Rachel definitely isn't a prude."

Now Rachel's cheeks turned bright red. "Finn!" she exclaimed as she turned in his arms to face him. Before she could protest further, Finn slid his fingers into her hair and kissed her deeply. Rachel immediately melted into the kiss and pressed closer to him, clutching at his shirt.

Puck rolled his eyes and abandoned the couple. He found Sam and Mike sitting at one of the tables and joined them. "PJ Platypus and Betty Beaver are going at it again."

"It's cute," Sam said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Evans, you are such a pussy," Puck said immediately.

"And let's not forget all of the times we've caught you making out with Quinn," Mike pointed out. "No one ever complained after that."

Kurt took a seat at the table and plopped his lunch down in front of him. "What are we talking about?"

"Your brother and Rachel are being all coupley again," Sam answered.

Kurt made a face. "You don't even want to know what I found them doing yesterday. I swear, the two of them just can't stop."

"I can hear you, you know!" Rachel yelled as she pulled her lips from Finn's. "And do we need to talk about the time I walked in on you and Blaine doing certain unmentionable things on our couch?"

Kurt's cheeks reddened, and the boys immediately started teasing him as well. Over on the other side of the break area, Finn grinned as Rachel rested her head on his chest.

"I see that you've successfully distracted them," Finn muttered.

"You say that like it's a difficult thing to achieve," Rachel said with a laugh. She looked up at Finn and made her eyes go as wide as they possibly could. It was a look that Finn couldn't often resist, and Rachel used it to her advantage. "Will you tell me about this surprise date that you're taking me on?"

Finn looked away from Rachel, but he couldn't keep the smile off his lips. She knew exactly what she was doing, and almost always ended up giving in. "Damn it, Rach. You know that I can't say no when you look at me like that!"

"Exactly." Rachel kissed his lips gently, taking a few moments to linger. Finn's hands tightened around her waist. "So are you going to tell me?"

Finn kissed Rachel again before he let go of her so that he could think straight. Rachel's touch did things to him. He knew that if she really put her mind to it, she could get out of him what he had planned for tonight. And Finn wanted it to be really special, so he didn't want to ruin it.

"No, I'm not going to say anything," Finn said. He chuckled when he saw the pout on Rachel's face and cupped her cheek. "You're just going to have to wait for tonight."

Rachel sighed dramatically. "I suppose I will." Then, with a sly little smile, Rachel slinked up to Finn and wrapped her arms around his neck. She waited until he looked down at her before she pressed a slow, deep kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, Finn gave her a dazed look. He shook his head and was very aware of the way that Rachel was smiling innocently at him.

"Still not telling you," he mumbled before he kissed Rachel again. He brought his lips down to her neck and bit down on one of her most sensitive spots, causing Rachel to let out a little gasp. Finn smirked against her skin before he pulled away.

Eventually, Rachel and Finn joined the rest of their friends at the table. As soon as they sat down, Sam immediately asked, "So did you do it in your costumes yet?"

Rachel scowled. "Noah!" she exclaimed. "What did you say to them?"

"I didn't say anything, Berry," Puck said as he held his hands up. "Evans came up with that question all on his own."

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "You're all disgusting. Fornicating in those costumes is the last thing that I would ever want to do." Rachel wasn't about to admit that she was still having nightmares about being stuck in the costume. Being with Finn in the costume was the last thing she wanted to think about.

She may not have minded her summer as Betty Beaver and actually kind of enjoyed, but she didn't like it _that_ much.

"Those costumes are gross," Finn agreed as he shuddered a little bit. "Puck, I think you have a fetish. Better let Quinn know about it before it surprises her."

Puck scowled and threw his balled up napkin at Finn. "Whatever, Hudson," he grumbled.

Deciding to steer the conversation away from the topic of their character costumes entirely, Rachel turned to Finn and asked, "So do I have to dress up for our date tonight?"

Finn smirked at her as the other guys sniggered. They were helping him make sure that this date would go smoothly, and Finn knew that it would drive Rachel insane that they knew what was going on while she didn't. "Not telling you," he stated again.

Rachel threw her hands up in the air in frustration and Finn simply laughed before he pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

* * *

Since Finn had refused to tell her anything (even after a full day of asking questions), Rachel had settled on a cute green sundress for her date with him. When she heard a knock on her apartment door, Rachel eagerly ran to get it.

Finn was wearing a pair of jeans and a grey sweater that hugged his chest. Rachel bit her lip as she took in his appearance. Sometimes, she couldn't believe that he was all hers.

"Rachel," Finn breathed when he saw her. "You look amazing." When Rachel beamed at him in return, Finn produced a bouquet of pink wild flowers. With a squeal of appreciation, Rachel accepted them from her boyfriend and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Finn, these are beautiful!" Rachel exclaimed. She went back into her apartment and Finn followed her through to the kitchen. She found a vase for the flowers and quickly arranged before she turned back towards Finn. He walked towards her until he was standing right in front of her and then reached out, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her against him.

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, his lips lingering against hers. Rachel smiled as she felt her heart fill, and she fisted her fingers in his shirt. When he pulled away, Rachel rested her head against his chest and then let out a little noise of happiness.

"What if we just stayed in tonight?" Rachel suggested. She ran her fingers down his chest and gave him a coy smile. "The apartment is empty. It could be just you and me…"

Finn's arms tightened around her waist. "As tempting as that sounds, I want to take you out tonight. This is something that I really want you to see."

Rachel tilted her head thoughtfully. "You really spent a lot of time planning this, didn't you?" When Finn nodded his head, Rachel smiled brightly at him. "That's so sweet!"

Finn grinned. "Come on. We have to get going." He took her hand and pulled her from the apartment. Rachel followed eagerly and asked many questions that Finn didn't answer as they headed to their surprise destination.

A little under half an hour later, Rachel's brow furrowed as she realized that they were at the entrance of McKinley Amusement Park. Turning towards Finn, she asked, "What are we doing here, Finn? This isn't exactly the sort of place I would imagine for a surprise romantic date."

Finn smiled before he got out of the car and walked over to the other side to help Rachel out. As he took her hand, he said, "Just trust me, Rach."

Of course she trusted Finn. But still, this was McKinley Amusement Park. While Rachel had had a good summer there, she didn't think that it was the greatest place for a date. "Finn…"

He chuckled and tugged her along. "Come on, Rachel. It's going to be great, I promise."

Rachel followed Finn, even though she wasn't sure how much she believed him. Even so, she had a feeling that this was going to be quite the surprise, given the way that Finn was eagerly smiling. A thought occurred to her as they slipped into one of the side entrances.

"Are we even allowed to be here?" Rachel questioned worriedly. "I can't imagine that they'll just let anyone in the amusement park this late at night."

Finn smiled at her reassuringly. "Beiste has a soft spot for me, so I called in a few favors and got the keys for the night. Don't worry. It's not like we'll be using any of the rides, or anything."

They made their way through the darkened amusement park, and Rachel moved closer to Finn as she held his hand a little tighter. "This place is a little frightening when there's no one around," she admitted.

Finn chuckled and brushed his lips across Rachel's temple. "I'll protect you, Rach. We're almost there, anyway."

It took Rachel a few moments, but she realized that they were headed towards the mermaid lagoon. There were soft lights coming from the area, and Rachel could hear the sound of running water. She gave Finn a look of confusion, and he just smiled at her in return.

Finn led Rachel around to the front until she saw what he had set up for them. Rachel let out a gasp of appreciation and turned towards Finn with wide eyes when she saw what he had done.

On one of the rock outcroppings surrounding the lagoon, Finn had set up a picnic for them. There were strings of white lights decorating the area, and the waterfall by the lagoon had been turned on.

"Finn, it's beautiful," Rachel said as she stretched on her toes to kiss him gently.

Finn smiled. This wasn't the only surprise he had planned for the night. He led her up to the picnic blanket and they sat and ate the meal that Finn had picked up from one of Rachel's favorite restaurants.

As they were finishing their desserts, Rachel leaned over and kissed Finn once again. "Thank you so much, Finn. This was perfect."

Pulling her close, Finn said, "I'm glad you liked it, Rach. But it's not the only surprise I have for you."

Rachel tilted her head at him in confusion. Before she could ask what was going on, Finn stood up and turned on the underwater lights to the lagoon. The water sparkled blue with the lights, and Rachel smiled at how magical it looked. She had never imagined that she would use that word to describe anything at McKinley Amusement Park.

Finn walked back towards Rachel and took her hands. "You've spent all summer wanting to be a mermaid. I thought that you should have the chance to do that."

"Oh, Finn!" Rachel threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. "This is so sweet. But I don't have a bathing suit."

"So?" Finn gave her a saucy look, and his fingers tugged one of the straps of her dress down. "I don't think it will be a problem."

Rachel kissed Finn again before she pulled herself out of his arms. Standing near the edge of the lagoon, Rachel slowly and teasingly stripped her dress off and allowed it to pool at her feet, leaving her in just her lacy light pink bra and panties. Finn's eyes were dark as he took in her appearance, and she smirked at him before she executed a perfect dive into the water.

As she swam the circumference of the lagoon, Finn turned on the radio. Rachel smiled as the song "Without You" began to play. She pulled herself onto another set of rocks and laid herself out as she would have if she had been a mermaid that summer. With her eyes connected to Finn's, she began to sing the song to him. Everything she was feeling poured into the words, and she could see Finn's smile from across the lagoon as her voice rang out around them.

By the time she had finished singing, Finn had stripped off his clothes. He stood there in a pair of dark blue boxer briefs, and Rachel licked her lips as she watched him from her place on the rocks. He really was too attractive for his own good. Finn jumped into the water and swam over to her. With dark eyes, he reached out and pulled her in, pressing her up against the wall of the lagoon.

"Finn," Rachel moaned out on a sigh just before his lips came down over hers. He gripped her hips tightly, fitting his arousal again her and Rachel wrapped her legs around his waist. Her fingers locked in his hair as they traded passionate, deep kisses for several long minutes.

Finn brought his hands around to the back of Rachel's bra and spent a few moments trying to unclasp it. Once he did, he peeled the wet material off of Rachel's skin and threw it somewhere behind him. Rachel moaned against his lips as he slid one large hand up her body, cupping her breast and rubbing his thumb over her nipple.

Finn pulled back and hoisted Rachel up further, keeping her pressed against the wall of the lagoon so that he could trail kisses down her throat and to her shoulder. He kissed across her collarbone, lightly biting down and sucking before he moved his lips to her breast.

Rachel moaned and threw her head back as his lips closed around her nipple. Her hips bucked against his and she moaned out his name, holding his face closer to her chest as he kissed over to her other breast.

"Ooh," she gasped as his free hand slipped into her panties. His fingers slid through her slick folds, circling her sensitive nub a few times before he tugged her underwear away completely.

Getting impatient, Rachel pushed Finn's boxer briefs off. Finn groaned when it was just skin against skin with Rachel rubbing against him. She tugged his face back up to hers, kissing him deeply and tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth as her hand snaked between them. She wrapped her fingers around his hard length and stroked her hand up and down.

"Rachel…" Finn groaned.

Rachel cried out when he dragged his hardness along her core. "Finn," she gasped. "I need you now."

Needing no further encouragement, Finn slid into Rachel. They both cried out at the feeling, and Finn buried his face in her neck. He placed a few hot, open-mouthed kisses there before he groaned out, "God, I love you." With that said, his hips began to move, thrusting into her.

Rachel's hips rolled in tandem with Finn's, her fingers digging into his shoulders. The feeling of Finn being inside of her was already becoming too much, and Rachel could feel herself careening towards the edge. She screamed when Finn slipped a hand between their bodies, rubbing against her sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Oh, God! Finn!" she cried out before she came, holding onto Finn tightly. A few thrusts later Finn came as well, burying his face in her neck again.

They stayed like that for a few moments, wrapped around each other as the water lapped gently against their bodies. Rachel combed her fingers through Finn's hair and kissed the side of his face before she said, "I love you, too."

It was the first time they had said it to each other, and Rachel couldn't have imagined a more perfect moment. Finn kissed her shoulder a few times before he pulled back and looked at her with a wide smile.

"Really?' he asked.

Rachel nodded her head and stroked her fingers down the line of his jaw. "Really. I love you."

"I love you, too," Finn murmured before he kissed her again.

They climbed out of the water and Finn wrapped a fluffy towel around Rachel's body before grabbing one for himself. They curled up on the picnic blanket together as they waited for their undergarments to dry a little bit.

"How did you like being a mermaid?" Finn asked as he stroked his fingers up and down the exposed skin of Rachel's back.

Rachel let out a noise of pleasure and snuggled closer to Finn. "It was great," she said. She looked up at Finn then, her eyes bright. "But truthfully, I didn't mind playing the beaver this summer. It was perfect."

* * *

**Author's Note: We only have the epilogue left after this!**


	11. Some Kind Of Fairytale

**Author's Note: My laptop has finally been fixed, so I can post this chapter now! Yay!**

**Thanks so much for the support of this somewhat crazy fic. I had no idea that people would take so well to the idea of Rachel playing a furry beaver during the summer and Finn being a platypus. I'm glad that you all enjoyed it! This take place during the following summer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"I can't believe that this is your last year at McKinley!"

Finn chuckled as he finished placing his belongings in his locker. He shut it and turned to face his girlfriend before he reached out and pulled her against him. Dropping a kiss to her lips, he said, "It's not like you still won't see me, baby. After all, we do live together."

Rachel beamed at the mention of her new living arrangements. She and Finn had just moved into their new apartment together. Finn had graduated from NYU and Rachel still had another year to go, but neither had wanted to wait. After being in a relationship for the past year, each knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

"Very true," Rachel agreed. She ran her hands down his chest, fingering the McKinley Amusement Park logo on his polo shirt. "But I'm still going to miss seeing you here. I'll have this job next summer, too."

"And I'll probably be teaching summer school," Finn said. After he graduated, he had procured a job as the elementary-level music teacher at the private school where he had done his student teaching. He would be starting in the fall, and Rachel couldn't be more proud of him.

"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll have my first starring role," Rachel mused.

Finn kissed her again. "I have no doubt that you will, baby." He looked over at Rachel's locker, which was now situated next to his but no longer held the Betty Beaver costume. "I will miss working with you every day, though."

"You'll still see me. I'm in charge of all of your performances now." Instead of returning as the character of Betty Beaver, Rachel was now the coordinator the musical performances in the amusement park. That meant that all of the characters—mermaids included—now fell under her management.

Finn pressed Rachel against the lockers. "So what do I have to do to get on the boss's good side?"

"Hmmm…" Rachel linked her fingers behind Finn's neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. "I can think of a few things."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Finn smirked as his hands settled on her hips and he kissed her deeply. His hands slid under her thighs and he lifted Rachel up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair when he moved his lips down to her neck.

"Finn," she gasped out. "We can't do this right now. Or here, for that matter." But she didn't push him away; in fact, she pulled Finn even closer.

Finn smirked against the skin of her neck before he gently bit down on her pulse point. Rachel moaned again and his tongue soothed over the mark. His hips bucked against hers, and Rachel writhed underneath him.

"Who says that we can't?" he murmured. "We're here two hours early because you insisted that we needed to get the best lockers. No one will even be here." He pulled back just enough to look in Rachel's eyes, and he winked. "We can even revisit the lagoon, if you want."

Rachel combed her fingers through his thick hair and pressed another kiss to his lips. "We're saving the lagoon for another night." She licked her lips and rolled her hips against Finn's, pressing closer to him. "But you may have convinced me to do this now."

With a triumphant grin, Finn lifted Rachel and took her into the showers. She giggled the entire time, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around him as she pressed kisses to his neck.

* * *

Rachel waited as all of the workers filed into the meeting room. She couldn't help the slight smirk that appeared on her face when she saw the mermaids enter in their matching red warm up suits. Rachel was in charge of them now. It was funny how the tables had turned—now Rachel knew better. Being a mermaid wasn't all that after all. She had a blast as Betty Beaver, and now she was the event coordinator.

"Oh, look who it is. It's the big boss Rachel Berry!"

Rachel rolled her eyes when Santana's voice reached her. Clipboard in hand, Rachel turned to face Santana and Kurt and did her best to keep a straight face. "You were almost late," she says teasingly.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Just because you're the boss now doesn't mean that you get to tell us what to do."

Finn came up behind Rachel then. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her face. "Actually, that's exactly what it means," Finn said.

Kurt made a face at his brother. "You know what I mean."

Rachel shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in Finn's arms. "It's not my fault that you decided to go back to your job as Alan Alligator. I always knew that you secretly enjoyed playing that character."

Kurt made an annoyed noise before he threw his hands up in the air and stalked over to his seat. Finn called after him, "Just think about how much fun you'll have this summer with the zoo crew!"

"Speaking of the zoo crew and people who secretly enjoyed playing characters…" Rachel turned to Santana, who was simply inspecting her nails. "Are you ready for your first orientation as part of the McKinley Amusement Park crew?"

Santana pointed a threatening finger at Rachel. "Don't say anything. You don't get to say anything."

Rachel couldn't keep the smirk off her face. "Oh, but I do get to say something. I'm the reason that you even discovered this job in the first place."

Santana poked Rachel in the shoulder. "Fine. Just go ahead. I know that you're not going to listen to me anyway, so you might as well go ahead and start with the jokes now."

Rachel promptly exclaimed, "I can't believe that you're going to be Betty Beaver this summer!"

"Ugh!" Santana pulled a Kurt and threw her hands up in the air and she stomped away from Finn and Rachel.

Finn chuckled and kissed Rachel's cheek again. "You're the best event coordinator ever."

Rachel turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck. "You know, sucking up won't get you any sort of special treatment."

"That's not what you were saying earlier." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's neck, and she could feel him smirking against her skin. "You know, when we were in the shower…"

Rachel gasped playfully and pushed on Finn's chest. "You're lucky I love you," she said as she swatted at his shoulder.

Finn kissed her quickly. "I love you, too," he said with a grin before he went to take his seat. Rachel could only laugh and shake her head as she took her spot at the front of the room. She flipped through the papers on her clipboard that detailed the itinerary for the summer.

She caught Finn's eye before she started speaking. Like the dork that he ways, he gave her a thumbs up. Rachel giggled and blew him a kiss. Even thought things were going to be different this summer, Rachel had a feeling that this one was going to be just as good as the last.

* * *

"Here we are." Finn unlocked the door to their apartment and pushed it open. He stood aside to allow Rachel to peer in, and she smiled brightly.

It was small—only one bedroom with one bathroom and the dining room was a part of the kitchen and it was still filled with all of the boxes that they had to unpack—but it was theirs. Rachel stood on her tiptoes to kiss Finn's cheek.

"Home sweet home," she said.

Finn grinned before he bent and suddenly swept Rachel into his arms. She let out a shriek of surprise and threw her arms around Finn's neck. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Finn's eyes twinkled as he kissed Rachel gently. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm carrying my girlfriend over the threshold."

Rachel tilted her head thoughtfully as Finn moved into the apartment and kicked the door shut behind him. "I'm pretty sure that's reserved for the wife, actually." As the words left Rachel's mouth, a nervous flutter started in her stomach. But it wasn't a bad one; despite the fact that she hadn't finished college yet, Rachel could see herself being married to Finn a few years down the line. The thought made a smile come to her face.

Finn shrugged his shoulders, but the smile remained on his face. "So I'm a few steps early, then." It seemed as if Finn was having the same ideas she was. He didn't seem at all bothered by it, either. In fact, Finn could see the exact future that Rachel was seeing.

She locked her fingers in his hair and pulled his head down to hers so that she could kiss him. As their lips moved together, Rachel could feel Finn moving. She felt him set her down on the mattress—the only thing that they had managed to set up when they moved in.

"You know, we really should start unpacking," Rachel murmured. She let out a moan when Finn's lips trailed down from her jaw to her neck. He bit down on the soft skin and then soothed the mark over with his tongue.

"I'm tired from work," Finn mumbled against her skin. He pulled the straps of her tank top down and kissed across her shoulders.

"Really?" Rachel ground her hips down against the hardness she could feel against her thigh. Finn groaned and bit down on her shoulder, his hips bucking against hers. "It doesn't seem like you're very tired."

Finn lifted his head and smirked down at her. "I'm not _that_ tired." His fingers slipped past her shorts and panties, and Rachel moaned and clutched at his shoulders.

"We can unpack later," Rachel breathed as her hips rolled against his hand.

Finn chuckled and pulled her shorts and panties off completely. "Rach, baby?"

Rachel cried out as his fingers hit that spot inside of her. She couldn't wait until he was actually buried inside of her. "Yes?"

"Stop talking." And then Finn kissed her. Rachel certainly didn't have a problem following that request.

A few hours later, after they were spent, Rachel was splayed out on Finn's chest. His calloused fingers traced patterns up and down her back as he hummed a song from Journey. Rachel closed her eyes and listened to the comforting sound of his heart thumping under her ear.

"I kind of miss it, you know," Rachel admitted quietly.

"Miss what?" Finn asked. His fingers traced lower on her back, tracing down to just above her behind before they swept back up. A shiver ran down Rachel's spine and she let out a little noise of appreciation at his actions.

Rachel tilted her face to look up at her boyfriend. "I miss being Betty Beaver."

Finn smirked and tried very hard not to laugh. "Oh yeah?"

"Shut up." She pushed on his chest and propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at him more fully. She tugged the sheet up around her body, and a small smile formed on her lips when Finn pouted. "Being Betty Beaver was where it all started, you know? It was Betty Beaver and PJ Platypus against the world. Or, more specifically, McKinley Amusement Park."

"Rach." Finn sat up as well and took Rachel's hand. "Come on. Even though you're the event coordinator now, you'll always be Betty Beaver to me."

"Oh, that's cute," Rachel said with a laugh. "You'll always remember me as the girl in the furry beaver costume."

"No, I'll remember you as the hot, sexy, beautiful, amazing girl in the beaver costume." Finn bushed her hair back and kissed her gently. "Do you remember the day you bumped into the lockers and I caught you?"

"Of course I do." Rachel's cheeks flushed at the memory. "That was the first day I actually tried wearing the Betty Beaver costume. I couldn't see out of it!"

"And then I swept in and rescued you like a knight in shining armor!" Finn said dramatically.

Rachel giggled. "More like my platypus in shining armor. You're such a cheese ball."

"Okay, that's fair." Finn pulled Rachel into his lap and settled his hands on her waist, squeezing affectionately. "But anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'll probably always be PJ Platypus to you, just like you'll always be Betty Beaver to me." He carefully tugged the sheet away from her body, and Rachel let out a quiet moan as one hand stroked up to her breasts and the other slipped between her legs.

"Oooh, Finn," she breathed out as she rolled her hips against his. Hot desire burned in her belly as she gripped his shoulders. Finn's lips moved to her neck, and she could feel him smirk against her skin as his fingers moved slowly against her core. "Stop teasing."

Finn flipped Rachel underneath him, and all thoughts left her mind after that.

* * *

"I don't even know if I can zip myself into this thing."

Rachel laughed and shrugged her shoulders as she watched Santana try to struggle into the costume. "You're the one who wanted the job as Betty Beaver. You knew the first time you tried that costume on that it would bind in the bust."

"Whatever." Santana managed to get into the costume and successfully zippered it up. She put her hands on her hips. "So how do I look?"

Remembering how Santana had made fun of her last year, Rachel responded, "Like a furry beaver."

"Shut up. I look hot. Now where is that boyfriend of yours? He's supposed to be Betty Beaver's best friend or something, right?"

Right on time, Finn entered the locker room. He was already dressed in his platypus costume. He pulled the head of the costume off and leaned over to greet Rachel with a kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "Relax, Santana. I'm pretty sure you're the one that's late right now."

"Shut it, Frankenteen. I have to go and be nice to children in this amusement park for the entire day. No one should do anything to piss me off," Santana snapped.

Finn just chuckled and shook her head as Rachel rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to Santana," Rachel advised her boyfriend. "She actually loves this. Otherwise, she wouldn't have applied for the job."

Grumbling under her breath, Santana snatched up the beaver head and stalked out of the locker room. Finn and Rachel could hear her muttering about annoying couples who are overly-cute. Rachel laughed and turned to face Finn, stretching up on her tip toes to kiss him again.

"Have fun with that," she said.

Finn laughed. "Thanks for the sympathy, baby."

Rachel patted his chest. "Santana secretly considers you to be her friend, anyway. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Finn smirked in victory. "I can't wait to hold that over her. And maybe I could talk her into playing some pranks on Kurt today. I still can't believe that he's playing Alan Alligator. Did he even try to get the event coordinator job?"

Rachel shook her head. "Surprisingly not. He didn't even apply for the job."

"Probably because he knew that you would be better at it," Finn said as he kissed Rachel's cheek. She let out a laugh and shook her head.

"Don't ever let Kurt hear you say that." Rachel playfully swatted at his butt. "Now get going. The park gates open in five minutes and you have to be out there to dance as PJ Platypus."

Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her close. "And then we get to go home."

Rachel beamed. Going home with Finn (despite the fact that they already had more than one argument about her singing early in the morning and him constantly leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor) was one of the best parts of her day. She only knew that it was going to get better each time.

"And then we get to go home," she repeated. Rachel kissed Finn again and they made their way out into the amusement park together. Finn went to his post and Rachel headed towards the concert shell, as she was getting ready for a musical performance.

As she walked, Rachel heard one guy say to his friend, "Is it just me, or is Betty Beaver really hot?" She spent the entirety of her walk laughing, since someone had said the exact same thing during the Fourth of July performance.

* * *

"I told you before you started that you shouldn't wear rubber bands in the suit. You've been at this job for over a month now, Santana!"

Santana tugged her fingers through her hair (which was still knotted after Kurt had spent three hours picking out pieces of the melted rubber band) and glared at Rachel. "I didn't have a hair tie and that rubber band was my only option. How was I supposed to know that it was going to melt?"

"Maybe because I told you that it would happen?"

"Yeah, well you can just—"

"Oh my Lord!" Mercedes butted between the arguing friends and shoved cups into their hands. "You two need to knock it off and start drinking. You've been arguing all day long!"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "It's not my fault that you didn't listen to me." She took a sip of her drink and smiled when she realized it was the exact same one she had during the last Fourth of July party.

Santana simply chugged her entire drink before she stood up and went into the middle of the dance floor. Kurt, who had been watching the exchange between the two best friends, simply shook his head.

"I'm amazed that she's stuck with the job for this long," he said.

"So am I," Sam said. He got to hear about most of what went on, since Betty Beaver and PJ Platypus typically hung around the pools. "But she's actually really good at it. Hey, Rachel, do you think Finn will let me play PJ for a few days so I can spend some time with Santana and see how she works?"

Puck had his arm slung around Quinn (much to everyone's surprise, Quinn and Puck were still together), and he snorted. "Please. We all know that you have a crush on Lopez. Keep dreaming, because she is way out of your league."

"And besides." Finn appeared next to Rachel and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Like I would let you near my costume anyway. Beiste would kill me if I let you mess with that." He kissed Rachel's temple and peered into the cup she was holding. "What are you drinking?"

"A pink drink," Rachel said as she tilted her cup towards him. Finn wrinkled his nose at it and then smiled at her.

"That's the drink you had last year."

"Yes. And if I remember correctly, I had a little too much and you refused to kiss me because you were too chivalrous." Rachel kissed his cheek and pressed her lips to his ear. "But just so you know, I definitely would have let you have your way with me that night." She nipped at his earlobe and Finn suppressed a groan. He tugged the drink from Rachel's hand and set it aside before he pulled her from his seat and led her away from the party.

Rachel smiled when she realized where he was taking her—to the tree where they had first watched the fireworks together. She rested her back against the tree and Finn leaned over her, propping one hand against it.

"You know," Finn murmured. He bent to press a kiss to her neck before he pulled back. "I knew that I had really liked you before this party. But I think this is where I first realized that I loved you."

Rachel beamed at him and slid her arms around his neck. "I think I knew that I loved you when I woke up in your arms the next morning."

"God, I just really love you," Finn said before he kissed her deeply. Just as his lips touched hers, the fireworks started going off above their heads. Rachel smiled against his lips as she curled her fingers in his shirt and pulled him closer.

It had almost been like some sort of twisted fairy tale. Rachel was the princess in the furry beaver costume and Finn was the platypus that had come to rescue her. As Finn held Rachel close, she knew that she wouldn't want to have it any other way. Betty Beaver had given her this wonderful life, and for that, Rachel would always be grateful.


End file.
